Thank You
by kwater
Summary: Dean and Sam learn to accept help and at the same time save the lives of a special family.
1. Chapter 1

Dean sat in the dark, eyes closed and listened. He knew that if he concentrated enough he would hear a whisper of breath, of movement. He forced himself to relax, his silver .45 a weight in his hand.

There a little to the left, Dean moved the gun and sighted toward the sound, never once opening his eyes. He waited and heard it again, he adjusted his aim, took a breath and shot.

The creature screamed as the silver bullet pierced its heart. The scream moved thru Dean leaving him feeling wasted. He couldn't pause though. He started inching backward toward the warm weight of his brother. Sam was slumped against the wall he had been thrown against.

Dean's hands moved over Sam's body, checking for punctures or broken bones. Dean chanted to himself, his lips moving but no sound was forthcoming. A litany moved through Dean's brain as his hands worked "Save Sammy, save Sammy..." over and over again.

There were only two injuries that Dean could find. The first a swelling on the back of Sam's head where he had hit the wall and a wound in his shoulder that was seeping blood. Dean lifted Sam's head from where it rested on the floor.

"Sam, come on, Sammy. I need you to open your eyes. Come on, Dude, get it together" Dean felt Sammy stir slightly. He continued trying to wake his brother. "Sam," Dean tried tapping Sam's cheek, not a slap, but hard enough for Sam to feel it.

Dean groaned and leaned his forehead to Sam's. Come on Sammy, Dean thought, I just don't know if I can get you out of here...

888

Sam suddenly jerked awake. He was in the dark, a strange weight on his forehead. He stilled as he felt something drip on his cheek. Sam quickly shut his eyes against what he knew he would see. Jess, his beautiful Jess, spread eagle on the ceiling, dying as she burst into flames. Sam suddenly shouted, "No". Turning his head away from the sight he knew he would see.

Dean heard Sam's shouted cry and lifted his head. He couldn't see Sam's face, but he could feel the anguish in that cry. Dean put his head against Sam's and spoke softly. "Sam, Sammy, it's me, you're okay, Sam." Dean lifted a hand to touch Sam's face.

Sam's world suddenly righted itself. Memory slammed into him, the barn in upstate Pennsylvania, the witch they had been tracking. Sam could still feel something dripping on his face. "Dude, Dean I'm okay, there's no reason to cry."

Dean suddenly sat up straighter and said, "Man, she must have knocked you a good one Sam. I do not cry." Dean started pulling himself up, as he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a lighter. As he flicked the lighter to life, he found he was surrounded by black candles. He reached out and lit a couple before crouching down to take another look at Sam.

Dean reached out a finger and wiped something off of Sam's face. As he held his hand up to the light he saw that it was blood. Dean quickly started running his fingers thru Sam's shaggy hair, cursing the fact that he didn't keep his hair shorter. Cursing that his brother had an injury and Dean couldn't tell where the blood was coming from.

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Sam felt Dean pulling at him, checking his head for a wound and he suddenly pulled out of Dean's urgent hands. "Dean, let go. I'm fine, well not fine, but back off." Sam finally opened his eyes and saw the reason for all the blood.

Dean's face looked like a Halloween mask. There was an open wound along his hairline by his temple, the blood was moving down his face in rivulets. His eyes looked hollow and bruised.

Sam was suddenly reminded of the fact that neither man had slept for more than an hour in days. Money and food had been scarce, they had been sleeping in the car for the last couple of days.

Dean had been in too big a hurry to stop the witch, before she could do anymore damage, to hustle a pool game or make some money off of poker.

Sam thought back to the last time he had eaten, he tried to remember whether Dean had eaten or not.

Dean suddenly snapped, "Stop staring at me Francis. I'm fine now let's burn this bitch and get the hell out of here. I for one am sick of this damn town."

Sam nodded and took the hand offered by his brother. As Dean pulled Sam to his feet, Sam acknowledged that he would be glad to put the town of Scranton on his list of places he never wanted to see again. It had been gloomy and dark for days, and the constant drizzle had made them feel as if they would never really warm up again.

888

Dean wiped a hand across his face, smearing the blood that still flowed sluggishly from his head. He watched as Sam put his right hand to his face and swayed slightly, his left hand hugging his side. "Sammy, you sure you're okay. Can you get to the car? I'll take care of the witch. It'll only take me a minute."

"What are you going to do Dean?" Sam asked, eyes narrowed at Dean's words.

Dean started moving gathering their gear, herding Sam toward the open doors of the shack they were in. "I gotta torch the whole place, Sam it's just not right. This place is filled with so much dark magic that if anyone came across it'd be trouble. Besides, we're in the middle of a dirt field. The building's small and in all this rain there's no way it will spread.

Dean pushed Sam out the front door and continued to push him toward the Impala. "Sam, are you clear enough to drive?" At Sam's nod Dean led him to the driver's side door. "I want you ready just in case a flame does jump, alright Sam, no cell reception out here. If the fire does spread you gotta haul ass back to town for the fire department. No arguments."

Dean didn't wait for a response just popped open the trunk and removed the salt and gasoline. He quickly returned to the house. After he saturated the witch in salt and gasoline, he walked a short distance away. He picked up the lit candle and quickly threw the candle on the body, igniting it with a whoosh of blue flame. Dean turned and walked out.

Once he returned to the car, he put the equipment back in the truck. The area was suddenly became illuminated by the quickly engulfed shack. He slammed the lid of the trunk closed and walked toward the driver's side.

That's when he noticed that Sam was slumped against the steering wheel. Dean quickly yanked open the door and caught Sam just before he toppled to the ground.

Shit, Dean thought, to himself. He was shaking like a leaf, he ached everywhere and even worse he was tired and hungry.

He hadn't wanted Sammy to know that he had been using the last of his money to feed him and to buy supplies. So he had done what he had always did, gone without. But now it was starting to catch up to him.

He sighed at the effort it would cost him, but knew it needed to be done. He turned Sam slightly, so that he sat sideways in the seat. Then knees popping, Dean bent and pulled Sam over his shoulder fireman style. He moved quickly to the back seat, got the door pulled open and set Sam back down again, so that he now sat in the back seat. After some maneuvering and a lot of cursing on Dean's part, he managed to get Sam settled in the back seat.

Dean pulled an old blanket from the trunk and wrapped it around his baby brother. Dean snorted to himself baby, yeah right Sam weighed a ton. Apparently, Dean thought to himself there had been no need to give Sam so much extra food. Dean sighed, and pushed a hand through the hair on his head, trying to avoid the cut on his forehead. As he turned, he noticed the glow from the shack was dimming.

He settled himself in the driver's seat of the car and watched the flames as they slowly died to coals, only then did he feel okay about leaving. There was no wind and the rain had picked up again. As Dean slowly pulled away he made sure he added the town of Scranton on his list of places he never wanted to see again.

Once Dean regained town he was at a loss, he didn't know what to do. He had no money, nothing left on the fake credit card in his name, and he had to get Sammy care. He pulled over on a side street and pulled out his phone, checking his contacts hoping there was somewhere he could take his brother. As Dean scrolled through the list he saw Bobby's name come up. Not knowing what else to do Dean pushed send, maybe Bobby knew someone in the area.

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The conversation with Bobby had been better than he expected. Not only did Bobby sound genuinely happy to hear from Dean, but, he had also been able to direct Dean to help. Help in the form of a town named Haycock about two hours from Scranton. Bobby had given Dean the address, told him how to find it and told him to head there immediately. Dean started driving south before Bobby had even finished telling him where to go.

Two hours later, Dean was nearing the end of his rope. The thought of what would happen to Sam was the only thing keeping him going. Dean had awoken Sam a couple of times throughout the trip, and each time Sam had asked for water. Dean cursed at himself for the tenth time when he had to tell Sam that he didn't have any. He had searched the Impala yesterday for any spare change, needing it to buy more salt. There just wasn't anything left.

As Dean drove through the wooded area he noticed that the sun was beginning to rise. Dean felt a measure of peace when he saw the rising sun. No matter what happened next, at least he knew that they'd made it through another day.

He slowed as he saw the address coming up on his left. Bobby wasn't kidding when he said this town was secluded. All Dean had seen so far were trees and more trees. As he pulled down the tree lined drive he saw the property open up in front of him. In the ever brightening sunlight he noticed a large two story house with a wraparound porch. A large barn stood behind the house.

Bobby had told him to pull straight into the house garage and go inside. As Dean moved to do that, he noticed the garage was a three car garage. In the in the other two bays sat a red minivan and a jeep. As Dean shut down the engine, he looked toward Sam. No matter what Bobby said, he wasn't about to haul Sam into this strange house without checking it out first.

"Sammy, come on man wake up." Dean said, as he gently shook Sam's shoulder. Sam started to rouse, immediately asking for water, Dean grimaced. "I'm going to get you some, bud. But you have to stay here and stay awake. Here take the gun." Dean said, as he pushed Sam's gun into his hand.

"Dean, where are we? Why do I need a gun?" Sam asked, confusion on his face.

"I found us a place to stay, dude, but I need to check it out first." Dean started to get out of the car.

Sam sat up slightly and said, "Dean, man you know how I feel about squatting on someone's property. We just can't break into someone's home and set up house."

Dean turned slightly and grinned in the dark. "Sam have a little faith in your big brother." With another quick grin Dean moved forward to the door, gun in hand.

As he quietly pushed open the door, he moved forward into a small hall. He could see openings to the front and right, he choose to go straight first. As he moved passed the door on the right he heard the voice.

"Well, you gotta be Dean, Bobby said if you didn't enter the house holding a gun, I was to shoot first and ask questions later."

Dean heard a woman's throaty voice say. Dean looked right and saw a woman standing with a shotgun pointed straight at him. In the early morning light he could see that she was taller than average. Slim and pretty, her hair was pulled back and she wore a set of dark frame glasses. She held the gun steady and with confidence. Dean quickly realized she knew what she was doing.

As he turned toward the woman, she put the gun on the table behind her, held up both hands and said, "You're safe now." At that Dean lowered his gun to his side and passed out cold.


	2. Chapter 2

Sara Powers watched the man collapse in front of her. With her hands on her hips she walked toward the hunter. "Well, Shit," she said, to herself. She quickly stepped over the man and looked out into the garage. There was someone in the back of the black car. That had to be Sam, she moved out into the garage and noticed that his head was back against the seat, and he seemed to be sleeping or unconscious.

Okay, Sara thought, as she returned to the house leaving the garage door open behind her. She moved to Dean's side and quickly checked him over. Except for a gash in his forehead she couldn't find anything specific wrong with him. She leaned back on her heels and went to remove the gun from his hand.

At this the man groaned and his eyes fluttered open. "Where's Sam, where's Sammy?" Dean questioned, sitting up slowly. As he did he felt his whole world tilt and spin.

"Are you going to throw up, because I don't handle puking well?" Sara said, as she put her arms under Dean and started hauling him into the back room.

Dean found himself sliding along a well polished wood floor, and then brought next to one of two twin beds. He struggled to push away the woman's hands but she seemed to be all over him. She had his jacket off and with a quick slice of a knife she held in her hand, she had cut straight down the back of his shirt. It took Dean a moment to realize that she had used his knife.

She quickly removed the remains of his shirt, while easily managing his interfering hands. Next went his boots. She talked the whole time, "stubborn ass. That brother of yours had better have some manners. You just wait and see..." Dean just blinked as he listened to a never ending complaint punctuated by curses.

Next thing Dean knew he was being lifted, he automatically worked at straitening his legs helping the woman as much as he could. She dumped him onto the bed, and stopped for a moment. As she wiped her brow, he noticed that she was covered in blood. That didn't seem right, he frowned looking for his gun, knife any sort of a weapon.

Sara noticed the agitation and focused on the young man in the bed. "Its okay, my name is Sara Powers, I'm a friend of Bobby's, you're safe, really. Sam's out in the car and I'm going to get him in here next. Just calm down." She placed a cool hand on Dean's forehead and just kept it there, willing him to calm down.

Dean focused his eyes as best he could on the woman above him. He had to help her, she was hurt and whatever had done it could be coming back. He struggled once again, looking for any kind of weapon. "I'll get it don't worry, your safe now. Just get me my gun and I'll help you."

Sara frowned at Dean and looked down into his eyes. "Dean we're fine, there's no danger, there's nothing trying to get me. We're all safe."

Dean rolled his eyes backward, and said, "You're covered in blood, of course we're not safe, and we're never safe."

Sara put her hand on Dean's head again and gave him a small smile. "Dean, that's your blood. I'm fine. Not a scratch on me, you can relax. You and Sam are okay now. Dean you got him help. Now you can relax, let me help you." Sara stood and reached for a blanket that was folded at the bottom of the bed.

"I'm going to cover you for now and go out and get Sam. Stay in bed I'll be back in moments." Dean felt the darkness descend again, and this time he couldn't push it away.

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Sara watched as Dean closed his eyes. She put a hand to his pulse and found it, slightly fast but strong. She tucked the blanket around him again and headed for the open garage door.

As she approached the car, she could see the shaggy haired man sitting in the back seat. His eyes were closed and he looked pale in the dim light coming from the garage windows. He held a gun loosely in his hand. This gave Sara pause, she had no intention of being accidentally shot while trying to help the young man.

She approached the car carefully and called out, "Sam, Sam Winchester. Open your eyes, Sam, come on, kiddo, you need to look at me." Sara stopped just before the open door. She reached out slowly and started to remove the gun from Sam's hands.

All of the sudden Sara was staring down the barrel of a gun, a very shaky gun. She never stopped talking. Much the same as she had with Dean, she just rambled, letting him know that she was here to help, that his brother was already inside and was waiting for him.

Sam was trying hard to focus. The woman before him kept trying to tell him that everything was alright. But Sam knew that nothing could be right. Dean had gone into that house and he hadn't come back out yet. That's all Sam needed to know that things weren't right.

Sara stepped back hands at her side. "Look, Sam, come on out of the car and come inside. I'll show you, I'll show you that he's okay.

Sam started to get out of the car, he kept the gun pointed at the woman and nodded for her to precede him into the house. Sara started walking into the entry, as Sam followed he called out, "Dean, man you okay?"

As Sam moved into the small hallway, and called out Sara winced at the noise, he was loud enough to wake the dead. Sara heard Dean answer weakly from behind her. "Dude, I'm fine Sammy, fine."

With that Sam lowered his gun to his side and passed out cold. Sara moved to catch him before he hit the ground, but managed only to catch his head in her hands. She hit the floor with him and grunted as pain shot up her tailbone. "Shit," she said.

She heard a movement coming from the direction of the bedroom, she glanced behind her and said in her calmest voice, "I god damn, swear that if you get out of that bed, I will personally kick you and your brother out of this house and shoot you full of buckshot as you run naked down the drive. I can and will handle this." She sensed more than saw Dean lay back with a mumbled, "Yes, ma'am."

Sara nodded to herself and set about pulling Sam as gently across the floor as possible. The younger man was huge. Sara managed to get him to the side of the bed. She began stripping him much the same way she had stripped Dean. She looked over her shoulder to see Dean watching every move she made. She frowned at him, and said, "Don't even think about it." She saw Dean nod and she turned her attention back to Sam.

"Sam, you with me, Sam, come on big fella, open your eyes." Sam could hear the words, but didn't recognize the voice. He opened his eyes slowly and looked into a pair of pretty green eyes, behind a pair of black framed glasses.

Sara saw Sam's eyes open and before he could react she was lifting him under his armpits. Sam automatically struggled to help get to his feet.

Before he could make it all the way to his feet, the girl heaved him up and onto the bed. Her balance was off though and she didn't make it out from under him.

Dean had to grin, at the sight. His baby brother was laying face down on top of Sara, his head pressed against her breasts. And he seemed to be trying desperately to focus. "Dean, Dean, what's going on man. God my head hurts." Sam laid his big hand under his head, placing it on Sara's breast. "Where the hell am I Dean?" Sam said, again trying to focus his double vision.

At this Dean could no longer smother the laugh that escaped. "Come on Sam, I know it's been a while but surely you couldn't have forgotten that much."

At his words Sam suddenly realized that he was lying on someone, warm and soft. His hand was curled around a woman's breast, he realized she smelled sweet, like vanilla. He lifted his head and focused as best he could on the woman beneath him.

Dean expected a torrent of curses from the prickly woman. Instead she surprised him by smiling slightly at Sam and pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Hey, big fella, you're kind of crushing me. Would you mind moving a bit?" Dean watched as Sam blushed and allowed the woman to shimmy out from under him.

As she stood she shot a gaze full of venom at the older Winchester effectively wiping the smirk off his face. "Okay, boys, now if you will just give me a minute I will have you both cleaned up, fed and asleep."

Sara was as good as her word, she quickly had Sam stripped down to his shorts. She had the puncture wound in his shoulder cleaned and bandaged. She then got Sam a glass of water and a bag of ice for his head.

She did everything with a minimum of fuss, although Sam noticed that she talked to herself almost constantly. At first he had tried to follow the line of conversation thinking that she would require a response. He quickly realized though that she was walking herself through the process, trying to do the right thing. No matter how game she was to help the boys, she had obviously never been in a situation like this.

"Alright, Sam do you need anything else," Sara asked, as she handed the younger hunter a couple of aspirin.

"No, Sara thanks I'm fine." Sam's eyes actually started drifting shut, before the words were fully out.

Sara watched over Sam for a moment, placing her hand on his head to check for any sign of fever. She found his head cool to the touch and she took a moment to brush the hair out of his eyes, he looked so young. She sighed and turned towards Dean.

She mentally prepared herself to fight older hunter for cooperation. Instead, he was staring up at her with a small smile. He looked her directly in the eye, and for a moment Sara could feel his gratitude. The feeling faded as soon as he broke eye contact.

Dean looked at the woman before him trying to convey with his eyes what it meant to him, seeing her take such tender care of his brother. As Dean dropped his gaze he noticed her nod. He looked up again and flipped her a grin. "Want to take off my pants?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Dean watched as Sara suddenly smiled and laughed. Dean couldn't pull his eyes from her face. When she smiled everything about her lit up. It was like the sun coming out on a cloudy day.

She gave him another grin, and said, "You look healthy enough for a shower. Why don't you hop in and when you're done I'll take a look at that thick head of yours."

With that she walked out the door, closing it softly behind her. Dean glanced down at his watch shocked to find that it was nearly 7 o'clock in the morning. Dean quickly checked on Sammy again making sure their was no sign of fever. He went into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. He wanted to be able to hear Sam if necessary.

When he got out of the shower the semi-clean clothes that he had left out were gone. They were replaced with a pair of clean jogging pants and a tee shirt. Suddenly, he could feel the anger pouring off of him. What did she think he was a charity case? Like he couldn't take care of himself and Sammy.

He quickly wrapped a towel around himself, grabbed the clothes and headed out the door planning the ways he would tell that infuriating woman off. He found her in a chair next to Sammy. She had her hand on top of his, her eyes were closed and her head leaned back against the chair. She was humming something soft.

Dean stepped back into the bathroom and sat on the side of the tub. He put his hands in his head and breathed deep. He was being stupid, Sara was just trying to help. She had done nothing so far to indicate that Dean and Sam were in any way in her debt. She was just doing what she could to make them comfortable. How long had it been since anyone had shown the Winchesters any kind of kindness.

Dean rose slowly and dressed in the borrowed clothes. As he left the bathroom he noted that Sara seemed to have drifted off. Suddenly her eyes popped open and she sat straight. Dean knew he hadn't made any noise, he figured that she must not have been asleep.

Sara smiled at him again, and said, "I'm sorry about the clothes but I was running the washer and figured you wouldn't mind if I threw what was left of your and Sam's clothes in the wash." She shrugged "Besides, I owed you a shirt after ruining the one you were wearing."

She moved off the chair and indicated that he should sit in it. To be honest Sara was surprised that Dean was still moving. His was so pale it made the dark circles under his eyes look like bruises. As Dean sat she quickly set about fixing the cut on his forehead.

Dean leaned his head back and closed his eyes while Sara took care of the cut. It didn't seem deep and Dean was hopeful that he might escape stitches this time. Sara, cleaned it thoroughly added an antibiotic cream and used butterflies to close it.

Dean had almost nodded off under her gentle hands when he heard her say, "That's it, Dean, you're finished, just get into bed and I'll be back in a moment." Dean watched her walk away.

A few minutes later Sara had come back balancing a tray with two bowls and a glass of orange juice. She set the tray down for a moment and handed Dean the juice. "It'll help stop the shaking."

Dean looked at her in surprise then reached for the glass, he noticed for the first time just how bad his hands were trembling. She stood and watched as he drained the glass, then she handed him the bowl. He looked into and saw that it was filled with cocoa crispies. He smiled at the bowl and looked at her. "This was one of my favorites when I was kid."

"Yeah, well it was either this or Special K. You looked like a cocoa crispy kind of guy. You know living on the edge and all that." She smiled as she sat down in the chair, propped her feet next to Dean's on the bed and proceeded to eat her own bowl.

Dean tried his best not to wolf down the bowl, but he couldn't remember the last time that he was this hungry. As he ate his way through the bowl he began to get sleepy. As he finished his last bite, he actually dozed off for a moment. Sara grabbed the bowl before it could tip and set it aside. Dean felt her pulling the covers up around him and sensed her moving around the room, pulling blinds and setting everything right.

As she left the room closing the door behind her he heard her whisper, "Goodnight, boys, sleep safe."


	3. Chapter 3

Sam woke slowly, as he lay he could feel the comfortable mattress beneath him, he could smell the clean sheets, and for a moment he even thought he smelled vanilla. As he opened his eyes, he had a sudden moment of panic. He had no idea where he was, he looked to his right and saw Dean sleeping on the bed next to his. He drew a deep breath and relaxed wherever he was, Dean wouldn't be sleeping if there was anything to be concerned about.

Dean definitely looked comfortable, he had gotten cleaned up and was wearing a shirt Sam didn't recognize. His hand was under his pillow, as always, gripping the handle of the knife he kept under there.

Sam lay a moment more and tried to remember how they had gotten there and just where was there. It was unlike any motel they had ever stayed in, again, Sam thought he smelled vanilla. He finally sat up and took stock of the room he was in. There were three doors, one was closed, one was a closet and the other opened into a bathroom.

Sam could see his and Dean's bags inside the open closet door. Sam rose, and quietly grabbed out the last of his clean clothes. He went into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. He wanted to be able to hear Dean if necessary.

Sam took a long shower, impressed with the plentiful hot water. He took stock of his injuries, his head felt fine as long as he didn't touch the bump that was located behind his ear. His shoulder, on the other hand, hurt. It was tolerable, as long as he didn't raise his arm. It made putting on a shirt painful.

As Sam dressed he looked at his watch, surprised to see it was 4 o'clock in the afternoon. He couldn't believe that he had slept that long, and he was shocked that Dean was still sleeping. Sam didn't think, Dean had slept more than a couple hours at a time since Dad had died.

As Sam entered the bedroom, he glanced at Dean again. His brother was still sleeping. Sam was sitting on the bed intending to put on his shoes when he heard a noise. It sounded like a giggle. Sam cocked his head listening again. Yup, there it was again, and it was coming from the closed door. Sam approached the door carefully, placing his ear against it he listened. He could hear kid's voices.

"Just knock, Mom won't know, come on I'm telling you they might have presents. Bobby always brings presents when he comes. Just knock, Mikey," whispered a voice.

"Stop it, Jimmy, if I knock Mom will be mad. She said the boys needed to sleep. Do you think they'll play with us when they wake up?" was the whispered reply.

"I've got it, Mike" said the first voice. "We'll get Jessie to knock, Mom never gets really mad at Jess."

Sam heard sturdy feet running away. As he stood, pressed against the door, he noticed that Dean had approached from behind. Sam put a finger to his lips and indicated that Dean should listen.

"Come on, Jess, Come on," said the first voice. "Okay, baby, knock on the door. Come on, Mikey, we can't be here while she knocks, we'll get in trouble."

Dean heard feet scrabble across the floor. After a moment, the first voice asked, "Did she do it? Mike, she didn't knock. She's just standing there playing with her wubby."

"Quiet, Jim, alright we'll just push her into the door and if Mom asks we'll tell her Jess fell," said the second voice. as Dean suddenly heard a bang on the door.

Dean grinned, he could already tell he liked this Michael kid. Dean and Sam stepped back from the door and opened it. They were prepared to see three kids standing in front of the door looking guilty. Instead, there was a monster there. Big as life growling, slobber hanging from its jaws, brown eyes glowing with anger.

Sam and Dean tripped over each other trying to get away from the animal, standing before them. As they backed into the room, Dean moved to his bed never taking his eyes off the creature and grabbed his knife. As he did the animal growled even louder. His head was lowered, and he stood completely still except for the growl that was emanating from him.

That's when Sam noticed the three children standing on either side of the dog. "Dean, lookout the kids," Sam said, when he noticed that Dean was going into a throwing stance.

Dean forced himself to calm down. The animal hadn't followed them into the room. It was poised at the threshold, watching them. The kids were obviously not afraid of it. In fact the littlest, a little blond girl, seemed to be trying to climb it.

Sam said suddenly, "It's a Saint Bernard, Dean, God he's massive."

Dean looked hard at the dog again. "That's why it looks so familiar, Cujo right, Sam?"

Sam grinned, leave it up to Dean to remember the rabid dog from the Stephen King books. "Yeah, boy he must weigh about 190. Do you think the kids are okay with him?" Sam asked, as he watched the middle boy actually sit down just underneath the quivering dog.

Dean took a deep breath, he normally liked dogs, he just didn't think he had ever been near one this big. It was the size of a small pony. His head alone was bigger than the little girl that stood next to him. She appeared to be playing lion tamer, she kept placing her hand in and out of the animal's huge mouth.

Dean set aside his knife and moved slowly toward the door. When he had put aside the weapon the dog's growling had softened. As Dean moved toward the doorway he noticed the growling got loud again. Dean sat down on the floor, cross legged, and waited for Sam to do the same.

The dog's reaction was quick, he promptly lay down with a huff. The massive animal practically dropped down onto the boy that had been sitting so close. The dog laid his head on his huge paws and looked at Dean with a pair of puppy eyes, his tail making a loud thump on the floor.

Sam and Dean looked at each other, surprise evident in their eyes. Obviously, the dog was trained to hold people not attack. Sam turned when a small voice suddenly asked.

"You're not boys, where are the boys?" Dean turned toward the voice he recognized as Mike's.

"I'm not sure Mike what boy's are you talking about?" Dean asked, the young boy, taking in his buzz cut black hair and big blue eyes.

"Jimmy, you said there were boys in here, where are the boys?" Mike demanded, sending an accusing look at Jimmy, as he pulled his sister's hand out of the big dog's mouth and wiped the slimy drool on his shirt. "Stop it, Jess, it's gross and you're gonna give Jack germs."

Jimmy was tall and solid with close cropped honey colored hair and big brown eyes. As he looked at the Winchesters a grin appeared, showcasing the exact same dimple that Sara had. "Mike, Mom said boys, but this is even better because boys wouldn't bring gifts, but I bet these guys have gifts. Did you? Did you bring us gifts from Bobby?

Sam and Dean exchanged a swift glance, Dean answered, "sorry, buddy, not this time. Bobby didn't know we were going to be stopping."

"Hey, guys where's your Mom, do you think you can go get her? We don't want to upset the big guy here," Sam said, nodding toward the Saint that was now lying on his side, with the baby apparently trying to clean his teeth.

Dean saw Jimmy's face fall slightly. "Mom's talking to Mom-Mom we're not allowed to listen, they need to fight in peace and quiet. Besides, Jacky won't hurt you he loves everybody," Jimmy stated firmly.

"Jim, that's not true, you know that Jack hates robbers, Mommy says Jack would bite any robbers. You guys aren't robbers are you?" Mike asked, a frown on his tiny face. The dog suddenly sat up dropping the baby off to the side and looked at the Winchesters, a low growl starting in his throat again.

Sam quickly held up his hands. "No, Mike, we're not robbers, your Mom let us in remember, she wouldn't have let us in if we we're robbers."

At this point the baby was apparently tired of trying to stick her whole arm in the big dog's mouth. She looked at Dean from beneath lowered lashes and smiled at him. She was up in a flash and across the doorframe. Dean instinctively held out his arms to catch the toddler before she could trip.

So quick Dean almost missed it the big dog reached out grabbed the baby by the back of her pants, he pulled carefully until she toppled gently out of the room. He then sat up and repositioned himself so that he was lying completely in the doorway. Again, he relaxed into sleep.

Damn, Dean thought that was incredible. The baby though had other thoughts. She smartly whacked Jack on the nose and sent up a shriek that a banshee would envy. Both boys beat feet around the corner.

A moment later, Sara emerged a hand on each boy's shoulder, she quickly took in the scene. Reaching down she plucked the baby from the floor and said, "Hush, Jess." The baby laid her head on Sara's shoulder, and sighed a big sad sigh.

Sara had caught Jim and Mike trying to escape, she turned to them both now, and said, "Did you wake these boys?" Sara nodded toward Dean and Sam.

As Sara expected Michael caved immediately "We were standing here, but they opened the door." He looked up at Sara with his big blue eyes, and confessed, "We might have pushed Jessie into the door."

Sara turned to the Winchesters, and said, "I'm so sorry, I was on the phone and I got distracted, I hope they didn't drive you crazy."

Sam started forward a few steps intent on assuring Sara that all was well. He didn't even see it coming. One minute he was standing and the next he was on the floor with 190 pounds of snarling mass on him. Sam had his good arm up under the dog's neck, but he knew the only reason he was still breathing is because the animal allowed it.

"Dean, put down the gun, Jack stand down. Dean, please lower the gun. The kids, Dean, look at the kids," Sara pleaded, with Dean as she moved to stand in front of the dog that had immediately jumped off Sam at her command.

"Dean, put it down, this is my fault not his. If I had introduced you he never would have done it." Sara bent and wrapped her arms around the dog that was looking at Dean in confusion.

Dean eased off the trigger, he knew that the dog was doing his job, but to watch it level his brother, had every instinct in Dean's body screaming to shoot. Suddenly, Dean felt a tug on his leg, it was Michael tears in his blue eyes. "Please don't shoot Jack, without him the robber's will come back. They'll get Mommy without Jack.

Dean swiftly thumbed the safety and put the gun back in the duffle he had grabbed it out of, he then threw the bag of weapons on the top shelf of the closet. He turned and knelt down next to Michael. "Mike, I'm sorry, I got mad at Jack, and I know he was just doing his job. But see Sam over there, I'm his big brother. And I take care of him, and when Jack knocked him down I thought Jack would hurt him. You know right? How you'd do anything for Jessie if you thought she was in trouble."

Mike nodded quickly "I'm Jessie's big brother and Jimmy's mine." Mike turned toward Jimmy, and said, "Jimmy, would shoot a dog for me wouldn't you, Jim?"

Jimmy moved forward, and said, "Well, guns are bad, Mike, and shooting a dog's bad, but I would beat up a robber for you. I'd kick him in the shins just like Mom says." Jimmy put an arm around Mike's shoulders.

Sara finally stood up. "Okay, that's it, there will be no reason for Jim to ever have to battle anything for you Mike. I've told you before, I will be the one to kick the robber in the shins, if he comes back. You guys need to get the table set, remember we have two extra tonight." Sara kissed both the boys and sent them out the door.

888

Sara took a deep breath, Sam could see the tears in her eyes. He wasn't sure if it was nerves from what had happened or what the boys had said. She raised her eyes and looked at him and Dean.

"Jack, shake," she said, suddenly. Jack promptly moved in front of Sam who was closest and held up a giant paw.

Sam looked down into the deep brown eyes that seemed to be begging for forgiveness. Sam took the big paw in his and shook it. At that, the dog just melted, he started pushing his big head against Sam's legs over and over again. Each time, the dog forced Sam back a few paces. Sam finally gave in, got down on his knees, and started scratching the dog's soft, brown, ears.

"Jack, shake," Sara said. She didn't look directly at Dean, she seemed avoid his gaze.

The dog immediately abandoned Sam and presented himself to Dean holding his paw in the air. Dean looked down at the dog and felt nothing but disgust for himself. He had over reacted, it was just that seeing Sammy go down that hard, when Dean hadn't been prepared for any type of trouble had stunned him, he'd gone on auto pilot and pulled a gun on a child's dog.

Dean suddenly felt as if he had been living the life of a hunter for so long, he could no longer set aside the ruthless killer he was becoming. He knew that if it hadn't been for Sara calling the dog off, as quickly as she had, he probably would have shot it.

"Please, Dean, he didn't know any better, it was my fault. If you shake his paw he will never, not ever turn on you. You'll make yourself a friend for life," Sara said, her voice thick with unshed tears.

Sam turned toward the woman, she was still as a statue her eyes focused on Dean's lowered head. Sam had the feeling that she wasn't speaking of the dog anymore. She was offering them her friendship, her loyalty.

Dean held out his hand for the dog. Shook it once and then bent at the knees. As he squatted down, the big dog gently head butted him. Dean lost his balance and toppled backward.

It was just what the dog wanted, he quickly settled. Half of him on top of Dean, rubbing against him as much as possible, making happy little growling noises.

Dean was just managing to get out from under the dog when a pair of wet, slightly sticky hands wrapped themselves around his neck. A sweet little voice in his ear said, "Dee, Dee." The hands tightened, and Dean felt a kiss land somewhere on his ear. He quickly wrapped an arm around the little girl, pulling her chubby little body toward his, growling in her ear and tickling her.

"Stop, Stop," she cried out, laughing like crazy. As soon as Dean stopped, she cried, "More, more, Dee, more." Dean tickled her again and stood.

Sara and Dean both started talking at the same time. "I'm sorry..."

Dean nodded, and said, "you first."

"I'm sorry, I told you you'd be safe here and then Sam gets mauled. I can't apologize enough, it's just that my mother-in-law called and I just lost track of things." Sara just stared at her feet "I'm just so tired you know, I just forgot. I know that doesn't count it was a mistake."

Dean closed the distance between Sara and himself. The baby in his arms, was babbling softly, playing with the amulet that Dean wore tied around his neck. As he reached Sara, he lifted her chin with his hand and smiled softly. "I'm sorry, I should never have pulled a gun around the kids, I just don't think..." At this Dean lowered his own gaze "I don't think we should stay here, I just don't function right anymore. I don't know how to do this." Dean used his hand to indicate the house.

Sara looked up, straight into Dean's eyes and studied him for a moment. She nodded once, and sent him a smile. "Can't handle it huh, it seems someone else has a different opinion." Sara's eyes flashed to her daughter, who had fallen asleep in Dean's arms.

Sam suddenly spoke up, "You know, I was the one mauled, I think I should be able to make the decision."

Dean's eyes never left the sleeping child who was snoring softly and drooling slightly on his chest. "And what exactly would your decision be."

Sam started from the room patting the dog by his side, and said, "Dude, can't you smell that? That's food, Dean, real food." he shot a smile at his brother, and said, "I always was a sucker for a lady that could cook."

Dean watched Sam leave the room, his heart suddenly felt lighter at the site of Sam's smile. He hadn't seen it, in so long. "So, what do I do with this one?"

Sara dipped her finger into the crook of Jessie's chin and the child suddenly giggled. Her long lashes flicked up and she sent Dean a sly look. "She's a big old faker, Dean, you've just been set up by a two year old. She gets all the men in her life to fall for it." Sara simply laughed and left the room.

Dean laughed as he looked down into a pair of dancing blue eyes. The little girl suddenly reached out pulled him close, and said, "Dee mine." She looked at him a moment longer and then wiggled out of his arms. She walked to the door, held up her hand, and said "Com' 'ere. Eat." Dean knew at that moment he had fallen.


	4. Chapter 4

Sammy could feel the panic rising up in his throat. They were coming at him from all sides, firing quicker than he could think. Sweat was starting to bead on his forehead. Over and Over again, he tried to deflect them, but they just wouldn't give up. Finally, at his wit's end he shot a pleading look toward Dean. A look that screamed for Dean to just put him out of his misery, Sam was defeated, he could take no more.

Dean could see that Sam was at his end, his eyes were wide, a sheen of sweat shone on his forehead. His eyes were darting back and forth trying to keep his adversaries in his line of sight. He was hunched protectively over himself, trying to find a way out. He was lost, he had been defeated.

Dean smothered a grin, as he walked into the dining room. The look on Sam's face begged Dean to just shoot him. Instead, Dean laughed out loud, though, he immediately cut it off. It really wasn't Sam's fault that he was floundering, but Dean took a moment to enjoy the poetic justice anyway, then he moved to intercept.

Dean easily picked up the little girl that had a death grip on his pants, swung her into the only chair at the table with a booster seat in it, buckled her efficiently and turned toward the two small boys perched on either side of Sam.

"Boys," Dean didn't shout but his voice commanded instant respect. Both boys quieted immediately. They looked toward Dean and sat down politely in their chairs, looking up at Dean they awaited his next request.

Sam slowly shook his head, the look of awe on Sam's face actually made Dean slightly uncomfortable. Dean looked at the table trying to decide which seat to take when he felt a tug on his shirt. "Dee, sit sit ne't 'essie" Dean looked at the face that was frowning up at him. Jessie was pointing to the seat next to her. Dean shot an embarrassed look toward Sam and sat where Jess pointed.

Sam looked at his brother a grin on his face, and said, "I always knew you would be brought to heel by a woman some day, Dean, I just thought she might be a little older." Sam chuckled as Dean mouthed the word "Bitch" at him, Sam returned in kind with a whispered "Jerk"

Dean brought his attention back to the boys. As he watched them he couldn't help but compare the two little boys to the memories of Sammy at that age. Dean nodded to Sam as if to say watch and learn. He then said to the boys, "Alright, now it's time for you to answer some questions. Jimmy, how old are you and you're brother and sister?"

Jimmy sat up straight when Dean addressed him. "I'm six almost seven, Michael's five almost six and Jessie's gonna be two soon." Jimmy shot a look full of triumph at his brother.

"Okay" Dean said nodding, "Now, Michael, do you guys go to school?"

"I got to Mr. & Mrs. Leights, Jimmy goes to real school and Jessie's too young, you can't go to school till you can pee on the potty," Michael said, then his narrowed his eyes at Dean. "Did you know you sound like Mommy when you said 'boys'? she's says it just like that."

Dean sat back and nodded at Michael. "Yup, my Daddy used to say it just like that when Sammy and I would get out of hand." Dean felt a sadness drift thru him as he mentioned his Dad, surprisingly though it didn't hit him quite as hard as thoughts of his Dad usually did.

Just then Sara breezed into the room, smooth voice barking orders as she set a plate full of t-bone steaks on the table. "Sam, mashed potatoes are on the counter. Dean, start cutting for the little ones, not too much though, they barely eat. Jimmy, drinks for the boys, Mike and yourself." Sara held up a hand, and said, "Yes, you can have chocolate milk just don't make a mess." Sara turned intending to head back to the kitchen when Mike spoke up "Mom, what can I help with?"

Sara turned, and said, "I didn't forget you, Bud, I need your help carrying food to the table. Come on, Dude, front and center." She waited for Mike to slide from the chair and headed back into the kitchen.

Dean watched as everyone fell in line, He shook his head, he didn't know where the kid's father was but you could tell that Sara was the one raising these kids. Dean quickly lined up three plates and began dishing up the food as it was brought. He hadn't seen this much since Sam and him had spent a Thanksgiving in Vegas, and then the food had been part of a buffet. Besides the steaks, there was fresh bread, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and a large green salad loaded with vegetables.

"Dean, what did you want to drink?" Jimmy asked, as he carried two small drinks to the table.

Dean thought about asking after a beer but decided against it, he didn't know how Sara would feel about it. "I'll take chocolate milk if that's alright, Kiddo?"

Jimmy sent Dean a huge smile, showcasing the gap in his front teeth and causing that dimple to show on his cheek again. "I told Mike, you'd like chocolate." Jimmy dashed into the kitchen nearly bowling over Sam as he brought in the last of the salad dressings.

Sam looked at dean, carefully cutting food into tiny pieces on plastic plates with two super heros and a girl with strawberries on her hat. He had to laugh.

Dean looked up to find Sam watching him. "Dude, you gotta cut it small or they'll choke," Dean said, not a trace of embarrassment on his face. "How do you think you made it to the ripe old age of twenty-four without choking?"

Sam face sobered, he nodded, and said, "Thanks, Dean." Sam watched Dean's face as he lifted his green eyes to look into Sam's.

"Sam, I'm you're big brother, watching out for you was the most important thing I've did or will ever do." Dean returned to cutting hoping beyond hope that Sam would let the subject drop.

"Actually, I was thanking you for staying here. I know you did it for me, do you think we could stay for a bit? You know rest up, I'm tired man, really tired." Sam finished in almost a whisper.

This caused Dean to look at Sam, like he hadn't looked in long while. Sam's face was pale, his hair had gotten beyond shaggy, his eyes, were tired and he looked thinner than Dean remembered him being. "Everything okay Sam?" Dean asked.

Sam sat in his chair, and nodded, "It's just since Dad, and finding out about my future." Here Sam paused struggling to find the words. "I just want to hide for a bit, you know, not long, just enough so that maybe we could kinda catch our breath you know."

Dean nodded, and said without hesitation, "You got it, kiddo, we'll stay till Sara kicks us out or you start getting itchy."

"Kick you out, sorry boys but you're welcome here as long as you like. You're worth your weight in gold to me; I've got enough chores to keep you busy, until you have to move on," Sara said, as she sat down at the table. She raised her eyes to focus on Dean and Sam "Seriously, you're welcome here as long as you want."

"Now, Michael, say grace please" As Michael chanted a familiar grace, Dean looked around at this family. Each child's head was bowed, as was Sam's, even little Jessie had her hands clasped and her eyes closed. Sara though sat eyes staring out the window, making no attempt to follow the simple prayer.

888

Dean sat outside on the patio mentally and physically exhausted. He sat with big Jack by his side, the dog's mouth leaking drool over Dean's knee as Dean scratched behind his ears. He glanced at his watch and noted that it was just past eight. He could hear a radio playing in the kitchen; he had noticed that there was some form of noise in every room. Even the office computer that he had walked by had been playing music. He could tell that Sara favored classic rock and metal. A girl after his own heart he thought.

He had forgotten just what it was to take care of a child, the endless questions, spills, tears, mishaps and general noise were quickly becoming familiar again. Though admittedly when you multiplied it by three it was a bit overwhelming.

After a relatively quiet dinner, in which the baby smeared herself with mashed potatoes, Michael didn't stop talking, and Jimmy spilled his milk, twice. Dean had watched Sara play around with the food on her plate, never really eating. Dean had watched as she set about issuing orders again as soon as the children had finished eating.

"Sam, Dean you boys, keep eating. There's plenty of food left and I have no intention of messing with leftovers. Jimmy, Michael, put your jammies on now, and then clear the table once the boys are finished eating. I'm gonna bath this one and then we'll hit the homework and read."

Shortly after as Dean and Sam helped the boys clear the table a small body tackled Dean just behind the knees, he almost dropped the plates he was holding he was so surprised. He looked down into a shiny, red cheeked face smiling up at him "Night, Night 'iss 'iss Dee," Jessie said, the tiny blanket that the boys called her 'wubby' held tightly in one arm the other raised toward Dean.

Dean handed the plates he was holding off to Sam and swept the tiny girl into his arms. She immediately laid her cheek on his shirt and promptly pretended to sleep. Sara walked into the kitchen next, wet marks all over her jeans. She spared a glance at Dean as if asking if he could handle the child for a minute. Dean simply nodded and walked into the living room, taking in Sara's home as he walked.

As Dean moved around the living room, he heard Sara say "Come on, Jim, I cleaned off the table, homework out." Dean noticed that Sam sat at the table leaning over the small boy's open book bag. Dean shook his head, once a geek always a geek.

Dean looked at his surroundings; the room was dominated by a beautiful fireplace on one end. A row of bookshelves were built in on either side of the fireplace. A large TV sat in another corner and there was a beautiful wrap around couch against another wall. The couch was set so that no matter where you sat on it, you could see either the fireplace or the TV.

Dean approached one set of shelves and was drawn in by the pictures. As he began looking at countless photos, Jessie suddenly sat straight, and yelled, "I see, I see." Dean smiled and began asking who the people were. Dean understood some of the names; however a lot didn't mean anything. Then Dean came across one of Sara in her wedding dress, standing next to a young, dark haired man. Jessie began yelling, "Mom, Mom, Daddy, Daddy."

"That's our wedding photo, well duh, sorry I mean obviously it's our wedding day. I'm not in the habit of walking around in a wedding dress." Sara smiled a sad smile, as she entered.

Dean grinned at her, and said, "You should, you looked beautiful in it." Sara's smile was real this time as Dean intended. He nodded toward the photo and raised an eyebrow in question at Sara.

Sara shrugged, and said, "He's gone, two and half years now. It's hard to believe." Sara moved toward Dean and held her hands out to Jess. "He would have loved to have met her." With that Sara turned and left the room.

That's when Dean had retreated to the porch, using Jack as an excuse. As he sat there in the dark, looking out over the back yard, he suddenly felt uneasy. He studied the yard again, trying to pinpoint the problem when Jack suddenly lifted his head and sent a growl out into the night. Just when Dean was going to investigate, he noticed that the dog was again calm and looking to be stroked. Dean realized that his unease was gone as well.

Dean heard the sliding door open and turned expecting Sam. Instead it was Sara coming through the door offering him a beer, and sitting down next to him. She was quiet for a moment and seemed to be studying the night air.

"I was serious you know, you're welcome here. Not to put too fine a point on it, but you guys both look beat. You're both covered in so many scars, that soon there'll be nothing left to sew up. I wanted to let you know, that the house is as safe as it can be. There's a line of salt over every doorway, protection symbols at each entrance and hanging on every window frame," Sara said, sipping her beer.

Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. He turned to look at the door behind him, he hadn't noticed any symbols at the door. He sent a sideways glance at Sara and noted her smile, "where?" he asked.

She looked down at the patio they were standing on and gave a small grin. "It was Bobby's idea actually; all of the walkways and even the driveway are made from paving stone. If you could see better you'd notice some pretty strange designs made out of the stones."

Dean sat looking impressed. "Very nice," he answered. "But what about the salt?"

This time Sara gave him a full smile. "There is a groove set into the top of each door frame. The grooves are filled with salt. I just go thru once a week and make sure that the grooves are filled. Plus inside under all of the area rugs are symbols worked into the wood flooring pattern. They actually look really, pretty. It's just easier though to leave them covered, less questions you know."

"Wow, and you and Bobby came up with all this. Nice," Dean said, as he took a drink of the beer in his hand.

Dean stood and moved toward the edge of the patio. "Listen, I need to go out tonight, are there any bars, nearby? Maybe one with pool tables."

Sara frowned in thought, nodded, and said, "I can give you directions to the Eagle; I think they have tables in the back." At this she suddenly looked nervous "Um, Dean I don't know if you'd be interested but a friend of mine is looking for someone to help him out for a few days. He runs a garage in town; he's got a backlog of work and wants to get caught up." Sara paused at this point trying to gauge Dean's reaction to her words.

Unfortunately the porch light cast his face in the shadows and she couldn't see him. Oh, well she thought and continued. "If you wanted to, he'd appreciate the help, for as long as you're in town I mean."

Dean felt the anger rise again. She was doing it again, pointing out that he was incapable of providing for Sammy. Dean ignored her offer and stalked into the house with a long angry stride. "Sammy, Sam where are you?" Dean called, as he walked into the back bedroom and grabbed his keys, and his gun out of the bag in the closet.

He was pawing through his duffle looking for a pair of jeans that weren't covered in stains, when he saw a pair of his jeans folded neatly on the bed he had slept in. Damn, he said to himself, how much easier it would be if he could just stay mad at the woman and her interfering ways. He picked up the jeans and noticed that there wasn't a stain left on them. The amount of work that she must have put into them to get them clean again made Dean feel ashamed for walking away from her.

Dean quickly pulled them on and strode out of the room. He felt like he had to get out of here before he exploded. He went into the living room and found Sam lying on the floor in front of the small fire that Sara had started earlier. He looked perfectly content; this is what Sam wanted, a woman by his side, kids asleep down the hall. Nothing more complicated on his mind than which book should he read.

Dean's anger fled, hell, how many times had Dean wished for this same thing for Sam. Dean called out "Sammy, I gotta get outta here. The friggin' Brady's are driving me mad. I'm gonna find myself a bar and stay for awhile. I got my cell on." Before Sam could react, Dean was pulling the Impala out of the garage and heading down the street.

Sam stood watching Dean go up the driveway and suddenly wondered what had set him off. Sam heard Sara come in from the patio a few minutes later. She walked into the living room and gave Sam a tired smile. "Hey, Sam I uh, apparently upset your brother. He's uh," here Sara paused and shrugged.

Sam couldn't stand to see Sara so upset, she had done nothing but go out of her way to help them. Suddenly Sam realized what had so upset Dean. "Sara, Dean's just not used to accepting help from people"

"You mean strangers, Sam, strangers like me. I should have realized it. I mean I should have thought of it. I know I'm not the best at accepting help from people I don't know. How stupid of me, I just thought that you guy's might appreciate the money. And I just wanted to help." Sara sighed. "I'm just so tired, you know I keep thinking if I just keep moving I'll be okay. But..."

Sam saw the moment when Sara realized that she had said too much. She simply shut down. Sam though had lived with Dean; he knew a thousand and one ways to force a confession out of someone that had no intention of confessing.

"What, Sara, what's worrying you?" Sam sat staring intently at the older woman. He found himself noticing just how pretty she was. Her figure was trim and well built. Her simple style of hair in ponytail, jeans and long sleeve tee suited her. She looked too young to have three kids.

"It's really stupid; I just haven't been sleeping for the last two weeks. I can't seem to settle, As soon as I close my eyes I feel like I have to check the kids." Sara collapsed on the couch tucking her feet up under her. "Then I check the kids and lay back down and all of the sudden I just know that I should check them again."

Sam sat up and moved to lean near Sara's drawn up knees, his back resting against the couch. "I noticed monitors in the kid's rooms; they don't help you feel safer."

Sara suddenly reached back and laid a pillow behind Sam's head for support. She reached out and brushed the heavy bangs out of his eyes as he looked at her. "They keep quitting, static gets too heavy; something's interfering with the reception. I don't trust them." Sara smiled softly and laid her head back, eyes closed. A moment later, she sat back up, and asked, "Hey, how about some TV, Bones is on tonight. I'm in the mood for a little crime drama."

Sam nodded and let things drop; he made a mental note to mention to Dean the monitors. Not that he thought it was anything important; Sara had this place set up like Fort Knox. He settled down and enjoyed the rest of his night.

888

Dean pulled into the open garage and reminded himself to berate Sara for leaving it open. He rested his forehead against the steering wheel for a moment, letting the familiar smell of his beloved car soothe him.

He'd just spent close to five hours in various bars around the area and he'd made a grand total of a hundred and fifty. That was gas and one night in a motel. It wasn't enough.

Dean sighed, and climbed slowly out of the car. Closing the garage door behind himself he entered the house. He noted Sam's soft snore coming from the bedroom they were staying in. He moved through the dining area and entered the kitchen intending to get a glass of water.

He could hear the steady typing coming from down the hall. Dean had passed Sara's office earlier in the day, and as he looked down the hall he saw a bluish light coming from the room. He knew he couldn't avoid what he had to do so he figured he might as well get it over with.

He walked down the hallway, and stood in the doorframe. Sara was staring intently at the computer, her fingers moving over the keyboard at a high speed. The only light the computer screen in front of her. As he moved to approach her, he noticed the white buds in her ears and the i-pod around her neck. He tried not to startle her as he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Sara was on a roll, the words were flowing and as she swiftly checked over what she had just written, she saw it was good, really good. Her ears were filled with a mix of music, fast, slow, hard, soft, you name it and she listened to it. Around the house it was always rock but on the i-pod anything went.

Sara felt the hand on her shoulder; she had no inkling that she wasn't alone until then. She reacted instinctively. She grabbed the wrist and turned it forcing the dark shape around and then kicking is solidly in the back, the way Bobby had shown her.

Dean struggled to his feet; the kick to his back had felt like a sledgehammer, he could barely summon a breath. He put his hands out in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture and looked over his shoulder.

Sara recognized him moments after the kick. She moved toward him ripping the headphones off. She quickly placed her hand on his back feeling how he gasped for air. She could hear the music she had been listening to coming from the tiny white buds that now hung loose around her neck.

Dean could feel her hand on his back; he heard her whispered plea, for him to just breathe. He couldn't help it, he suddenly grinned. "Bobby would be proud," Dean said, as he turned to face the woman next to him. "You'll make his week if you tell him you got the jump on me."

Sara's face still reflected worry as she shrugged off Dean's compliment. "Nah, it doesn't count. You weren't expecting to be attacked and I was." Sara moved out of Dean's space and sat back down on the office chair. "Did you need something?"

Dean took one last breath. "Yeah, I was wondering if you could let your friend know I would be interested in helping him out," Dean said, this last while staring at the silver ring on his hand.

"No, problem I told him if you were interested you would be there tomorrow by eight. It's about a ten minute ride. I'll leave directions on the kitchen table in the morning. Things are kinda crazy here in the morning so you'll have to make due with cereal for breakfast. I have an old Jeep that Sam can borrow if he needs to go out for anything tomorrow. I don't know if he will though his shoulder is really bothering him." Sara turned back toward her computer, idly reading over what was written.

Dean nodded his thanks and headed out the door. That's when he noticed that he hadn't seen Jack since he came in. He stuck his head back around the corner, and asked, "Where's Jack?"

Sara pointed toward the ceiling, and said, "He sleeps outside the kid's room, he keeps watch." Sara resumed her typing. Effectively cutting off anything else Dean might have said.

Dean turned down the hall and found himself wondering what had ripped through Sara's family to make them all so scared. He recalled Michael's talk of robbers, the family dog that was trained to be protector, not to mention the protective measures that had been taken to keep anything supernatural out. He found himself wondering how Sara had ended up meeting a grizzled old hunter like Bobby.

Dean entered his room noticing Sam was sleeping like the dead. Dean adjusted the covers that Sam had kicked off and got into bed himself. He set the mental clock he kept in his head for seven o'clock and settled into sleep


	5. Chapter 5

Dean stepped from the shower and quickly toweled off. As he dressed he found that he was slightly nervous about today. Other than Bobby and a couple of odd jobs he had never really worked for someone. Not that he couldn't do oil changes in his sleep, no that wasn't the problem. The problem was that he had to take orders from someone, someone else would have the right to tell Dean what needed to be done. Dean sighed and opened the bathroom door; well he said to himself there's always the road.

Dean glanced at Sam and then left the Impala keys and a note that he had written earlier on the bedside table for his brother to find. He turned grabbing his coat and headed for the kitchen to get the directions. Dean had left himself enough time to walk to the job. He didn't feel comfortable leaving Sam without wheels.

As he entered the kitchen, he smelled the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and noticed a note on the table. He picked it up, reading it quickly.

'Dean, here are the directions; it's about a ten minute drive. The keys for the Jeep are hanging on the hook; if you need it take it. Stay Safe. S'

Dean shook his head, that woman was incapable of backing off. He looked at the table; saw a cereal bowl, coffee mug and a couple of boxes of cereal. Well, at least he'd have time to eat now. He set about getting some breakfast.

"Dean, Dean you still here?" Sam came into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes with his hand. He paused at the sight of Dean sitting on the counter top eating his breakfast. Sam noted the eagerness with which Dean was eating and peaked into the bowl his brother was holding.

Sam gathered his own bowl, and said, "Dude, how can you stand that much sugar in the morning." Sam poured his own bowl of Special K, then set about getting some coffee.

"You wanna know why I wake up in a good mood, and you can't manage to get the growl out of your system, Sammy boy. It's cause I wake up to a good old fashion sugar rush. And nothing says sugar rush like a big old bowl of Cocoa Krispies.

Sam gathered his breakfast and sat at the table. "Man, what's with this?" Sam's eyebrows practically jumped off his face, as he looked inside a black canvas lunch bag that sat on the table. Sam smiled with glee. "Ahhh, Little Dena, has her little lunch kettle. Oh, look Mommy even made cookies."

Dean jumped from the counter, set his bowl in the sink and moved over to Sam's side. Punching his brother in the arm, he looked at the lunch as if it might bite.

Sam lifted the lid and Dean saw a can of soda, a sandwich, some chips and a bag of cookies. Dean was about to toss the whole thing in the trash when he really looked at the cookies. Dean zippered the lunch back up and set it aside then he turned to look at the kitchen. His eyes alighting on the microwave, he moved to open it and there they were so beautiful they almost brought a tear to his eye.

In the microwave on a plate covered in plastic wrap sat a huge mound of cookies. "How did she know?" Dean asked out loud. He turned toward Sam and saw the smile in his brother's eyes.

Sam watched as Dean pulled the cookies out of the microwave. Sam wasn't sure when she had managed it but, there they were. M&M cookies, the bright candy shells made the cookies look festive in the early morning light.

Sam's face turned serious. "She asked, and I know how you love them. I just wanted you to, you know, have something special. It's good right, Dean?" Sam asked, looking down at the cereal before him.

Dean shifted looking at Sam from the corner of his eye. God, the kid never forgot anything. M&M's were Dean's first and foremost choice in food. Over the years he had added them to just about every food imaginable. There were times when food was scarce, Dean would stretch out a tiny bag for days. He gently knocked Sam on the shoulder and grabbed two cookies from under the wrap.

Just before leaving the kitchen something Sam said registered with Dean. "When did she ask you?"

Sam paused, and said, "Not too long after dinner. She asked what our favorite foods were; I said yours was M&M's. I don't know when she made them though; I was in the living room with her until at least eleven o'clock." Sam shrugged and began eating. "Oh, and I wanted to tell you. The monitors in the kid's bedrooms keep going in and out, lots of static and interference. Also, she's been having trouble sleeping, Sara said she's been really uneasy for the last two-three weeks."

Dean frowned, "Sam, I want you to keep a close eye out today. Stay close to Sara and the kids, it's probably nothing, but Jack was acting weird last night. And I can vouch for her not sleeping, when I came in at two, those cookies weren't made. I gotta go. I'll see you tonight, phone's on little brother."

Sam watched as his brother pulled the Impala out of the garage and headed up the drive. As he stood at the window watching, he suddenly felt uneasy. He trained his eyes toward the woods that surrounded the property.

"Morning Sam, what'cha doing?" Sam turned suddenly at the young voice behind him. As he looked back at the woods he noticed his unease was gone.

888

"Sam, Sam, earth to, Sam, is something wrong?" Sara asked, as she finished putting on the baby's shoes

"'am 'am," Jessie said, mimicking Sara.

Sam turned as he heard Sara calling to him. He gave her a smile, and said, "No, nothing where are you two headed?"

"I was just asking if you wanted to come. Get out of the house for a bit; see our fine town and all that. I have to drop the kids off at school and then I was going to hit Wal-Mart." Sara stood with Jessica in her arms and started for the garage. "Boys, front and center, come on, school time load 'em up."

As the boys tumbled into the room with school bags in tow, Sam walked into his room grabbing his wallet and jacket. Sam decided he would stay with Sara and the kids today. Dean was right; something just seemed a little off. Sam didn't want to risk anything happening to the already broken family.

Sam walked out of his room, swinging little Jessie out of Sara's arms. "If you don't mind I'll come." He followed the herd out to the red mini-van.

After a few minutes on the road Sam suddenly had the feeling something was missing. He looked over his shoulder noted the kids engrossed in a movie involving a talking fish. He counted the kids and then checked his pockets. After confirming that he had his wallet and cell phone, he looked over his shoulder and counted the kids again. Frowning over the feeling he couldn't shake, he looked toward Sara and noticed her grin.

"What?" Sam asked, puzzled over the merry look on Sara's face.

"Throws, you off a little doesn't it?" Sara asked. "You know something's missing but you just can't put your finger on it right?"

Sam nodded surprise on his face. "What is it."

Sara laughed openly at this, and answered, "They're quiet. That's it. You're just noticing what's missing the noise, the fidgeting, and the fighting. I can quite honestly say that this car is the best thing I ever bought. The DVD player is sometimes the only thing that keeps me sane." Sara looked with fondness in her rearview, watching her kids watch the movie.

Sam nodded, grinning himself, and said, "I don't think I've heard this much quiet since we met you guys." Sam glanced sideways at Sara, watching as she maneuvered the van around the winding roads. Sam could see that she enjoyed driving.

"I know" Sara said with a smile. "Real cool car, huh. Is it terrible to admit sometimes, I load them up and drive an hour away for ice-cream just so I can have a few moments of peace?" Sara said, with a guilty grin. "The kids don't understand how come there's no ice-cream in Haycock."

Sam found himself laughing out loud. Actually to be honest he found himself laughing for most of that trip. As Sara made the rounds dropping off first Jim and then Michael at their respective schools, she kept up a tirade of stories all of which kept Sam laughing almost continuously.

They had dropped off the kids and headed to the store, Sam carrying Jess in his arms, Sara pushing the cart. She had continued making Sam laugh with her opinions and play by plays of the other customers.

After they loaded up the dog food and diapers that Sara had been shopping for, She rolled by the coffee shop ordering four coffee's. She headed downtown, finally pulling into a mechanic's shop. As he got out Sam noted the Impala in the lot, he also saw a sign that read Powers & Reed Garage.

Sara popped Jessie out of the car walking with her, balancing the two coffees in one hand and the little girls hand in the other. Sam followed behind sipping his own coffee. As they entered the garage it was obvious that Sara came here a lot, Jessie quickly pulled away from Sara and ran toward an office yelling " 'Br'n Br'n, 'essy 'ere."

A large blond man came rolling out of the office and quickly grabbed the little girl off the ground. He smiled, as he reached out and grabbed the top coffee from Sara. He dropped a quick kiss onto Sara's forehead and lowered Jess to the ground.

Sara quickly held up a finger to Jess "Now, listen missy you stay right there. We can't stay long." She turned toward Sam. and said. "Sam Winston, this is Brian Reed. Brian owns the garage."

Sam moved forward and shook hands with the blond man. Sam couldn't help but notice that not only was Brian as tall as Sam, he probably outweighed him by about thirty pounds.

Just then Jessie noticed a pair of boots sticking out from under an old Nissan Sentra that was up on a lift. "Dee, Dee" the small girl was practically yelling as she kept tugging on Dean's boots.

When Dean pushed himself out from under the car the small child actually looked shocked to see Dean emerge. She quickly bent over too look under it a small frown on her face. "Dee car?"

Dean smiled, and gestured the small girl toward him. "Hey, Jessie girl, the car's broke. I'm fixing it"

Jess stared from Dean to the car and nodded as she pointed toward the car again, and said, "Fix." Ordering Dean to begin working on the car again.

Dean nodded at Jessie seriously. "Alright, I'll fix it in a minute okay."

Jessie nodded again, and said, "Soon. Kiss Dee?"

Dean looked at the grease on his hand and clothes, and said, "I'll take a rain check, Sweets, I'm a bit dirty."

Jessie nodded at Dean. "Soon," she said, as she lifted her arms toward Sam asking to be picked up.

Sara handed Dean the coffee, and said to Brian, "I have to get the jeep in for inspection it's out next month, when can I bring it?"

As Sara and Brian moved off toward the office to set up an appointment, Sam moved toward Dean.

Dean noticed Sam's fidgeting. "Something wrong, Sammy?" Dean asked, his senses suddenly on fire.

"I don't know Dean, a few minutes after you left the house this morning I just got this feeling. Like something was outside the house. I couldn't see anything and it passed quickly but, I just I don't know." Sam paused, as he watched Jessie playing with the string bracelet he wore on his wrist.

Dean cast a glance toward the office where Sara and Brian were talking. They were standing close; heads leaning toward each other, Dean noticed that Sara was smiling softly.

Brian had been different than Dean had expected. He had seemed genuinely grateful when Dean had showed up this morning. He had quickly set Dean to work, and had worked alongside of him for much of the morning.

The only aspect Dean didn't appreciate was the fact that he kept asking Dean questions about Sara and the kids. He seemed overly familiar with their lives and had kept bringing them up at various times. He had also questioned Dean about what he was doing with the Powers family and when he would be leaving.

He had been quick to point out that the garage had once belonged to him and Jason Powers. After Jason had been stabbed by a man trying to rob the family, Brian had bought out Jason's share and had been running the place himself ever since.

Dean frowned as he thought of Sara's husband, being stabbed in the throat while trying to protect his family. Apparently, Sara had been stabbed also, although she had survived. She had been eight weeks pregnant with Jessie at the time. Her and her husband hadn't even known. Dean guessed that not all the evil in the world was supernatural.

Dean got the feeling that he was interested in Sara and saw Dean as possible competition. Watching Sara and Brian talk in the office though, suddenly made Dean feel slightly more relaxed.

Although, Sara was smiling and nodding in all the right places her glance had frequently met Dean's across the room. As their eyes met yet again, Dean suddenly dropped her a wink and a lewd grin, waggling his eyebrows at her. He could see her actually snort out a laugh, quickly putting her hand over her mouth in embarrassment.

"Dean, man focus," Sam said, pulling his arm away from Jess and waving it in front Dean.

Dean slapped away Sam's hand. "Yeah, Dude I know I felt something similar when I was out on the back porch. And I know that Jack was picking up on something." Dean paused a small grin on his face as he saw Sara shoot him a rude look, winking and waggling her eyebrows, when Brian wasn't looking. He nodded at her and turned his attention to Sam.

"Sam, we have to protect them, we can't let anything bad happen. We'll stay until we're sure they're safe. Don't go wondering on the property until I get back. I want you with them the whole time," Dean said, as he carefully pressed a kiss on Jessie's cheek and headed back to the car he was working on, sipping his coffee as he went.

Sara emerged a moment later. "Ready, Sam. Let's plow. See ya, Brian, Bye, Dean," Sara called out, as she took Jessie from Sam, set her on the ground, and started toward the van.

888

"Sam, Sam, are you out there?"

Sam turned away from the kitchen window and found Sara standing in front of him.

"You alright, Sam, your head isn't hurting is it? Maybe we should get you checked out for a concussion," Sara asked, in concern, laying a hand along Sam's cheek.

Sam shook his head and smiled. "No, really I'm fine, Sara. I'm just not used to this much free time. I don't know what to do with myself."

"Well, that's kind of why I came to find you. I need help and I wanted to see if you could do something for me," Sara asked, lifting her hair off her shoulders and quickly putting it in a ponytail.

Sam nodded. "Of course what did you need?" Sam hoped he didn't sound too eager. He really wasn't used to the inactivity. After picking Michael back up from his pre-school. They had all returned home for lunch. Sara had just put Jessie up for a nap and Michael was playing in the living room.

Sara beckoned Sam to follow her to her office. "Sam, I'm writing a book and I need some fact checking done. If you'd be willing, I would really appreciate it. I'm a bit behind and I'm afraid I won't meet my deadline."

Sam stopped inside the door. "That's what you do, you're a writer?" Sam took a long look around the room. Noticing the books that lined every cabinet.

Sara pulled out a thick accordion file that looked full. "I guess I am at that. I'm still not used to calling myself a writer. But it pays the bills and I get to stay home with my kids. I'm in the process of writing my fifth book." Sara waved at the bookcase next to Sam.

Sam turned and read the titles on the shelf. "Oh my god, you're Sara Powers. You wrote 'Bear Creek'. I read that last year." Sam suddenly turned. "That was practically a how to guide on dealing with a werewolf. How did you know?" Sam rolled his eyes "Bobby, right?"

Sara gave Sam a small smile "He's been really great. I've been using him for research. I think he secretly gets a kick out of knowing that everything in my books are real. Feels like the jokes on all those people that read them thinking that I'm just imaginative."

"Anyway, like I said I'm running behind on my newest book. It deals with Wendingo's. Bobby had told me awhile ago that you and Dean had dealt with one. If you'd be willing to read this over and double check my info. Make sure everything is believable. I'd really appreciate it." Sara looked nervously at Sam.

Sam took the file from Sara his face lighting up as if it was Christmas come early. "Yeah, Yeah I can do that."

Sara nodded. "Good, you can just jot your notes in the margins. And don't be afraid to tell the truth. There are a couple of hand to hand combat scenes that I'm not sure are quite working." Sara watched as Sam walked out of the office and headed down the hall.

She was smiling softly to herself when she heard Jack give a small whine, indicating he had to go out. She pushed to her feet called the dog to heel and let him out the back.

888

The big dog wandered around the yard for awhile. His nose picking up all the familiar scents. He looked toward the house and saw that the girl had gone back inside. He knew it meant he could stay out for awhile. The little ones were in the house and he was free. He set his nose to the ground and began following all the different scents that could be found on a warm spring day.

As he wandered farther and farther from the house he kept checking the doorway that the girl had let him out of. The big dog knew that he had a job and he didn't want to disappoint the girl. He loved the girl with all his heart. The little ones were important to the girl so that made them important to him. The girl though, she was the center of his universe.

The big dog wandered even further. He had been feeling uneasy lately and couldn't reason why. No matter how he smelled he could not find anything strange or different on his territory. He didn't understand why then things felt wrong. He felt uneasy and he knew the girl felt uneasy also. She was always awake; she no longer slept in the big bed.

The hair on the big dog's neck suddenly stood up as he turned to look out. He growled softly and hurried back to the house. A quick woof brought the girl to the door. He entered the house bumping his head into her hoping for a quick scratch. As she complied, the big dog forgot all about what he had felt.

888

They stood in the shadows, in the dark is where they belonged. The brightness of daylight caused them pain. It did not kill, but it hurt. As they watched, the animal paused in its wonderings. They watched as the hair on the it's back stood up, and a low growl issued from its massive mouth.

They waited in anticipation hoping that this would be the time that the animal forgot its training and entered the deep part of the forest, the part that stood in shadow.

Instead, the animal turned before it reached the end of the protected yard and returned to the house. They could see her opening the door for the animal. They felt her glance pass over them. They knew she would be unable to see them. Soon, they thought soon, she would come away from the protection. Soon they would be able to have her, her or one of the others. It didn't really make a difference to them, in the end they would get them all.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean watched Sara, standing at the sink finishing up the last of the dishes. She was still wearing her night clothes a pair of pajama bottoms and a black tank top. Her hair was pulled up loosely and she wore and outrageous pair of pink neon socks. She was frowning as she looked out the window near the sink. She seemed so lost.

Dean looked at Sam who was sitting in the chair next to him, head buried in Sara's latest novel. Sam had done nothing but rave about it so far. This week had done wonders for Sam, Dean noted that Sam seemed relaxed and at ease.

Dean had to admit he felt better than he had in a long time. No aches, no pains, and he had even come to enjoy working at the garage. It seemed so simple. He had taken some of his earnings and gone out with Sam, replacing their battered clothing and dwindling supplies.

He had to admit that the clothing trip had been a blast. Sara had somehow finagled an invitation for the whole family to go. She had talked Dean into installing Jessie's car seat in the Impala. The three kids had sat in the back and Sara had sat between Sam and Dean.

Dean didn't know who had called out more requests, Sara or the kids. They had yelled for burn outs, and for Dean to go faster, taking the turns so hard that Sara kept sliding back and forth on the front seat. Dean had never seen her laugh so openly. It had made her seem so young.

Dean sighed as he quickly caught the small body that had just entered the kitchen. He had developed a sixth sense since meeting the littlest of Powers. Jessica threw herself at Dean constantly, with no warning. From chairs, stairs and once even from the backyard slide, she just jumped, arms open never considering that Dean may not be able to catch her.

He quickly sat her on his lap and pushed the apple slices she had been having as a snack toward her. She looked up at him and planted a sticky kiss on his cheek. She was still wearing her pajamas also. Sara felt Saturdays were for bumming around, no reason to do anything but enjoy. The boys were engrossed in video games out in the living room; they too still wore their pajamas.

Sara turned toward Dean and tossed him a washcloth. Dean snagged it and quickly started wiping the sticky syrup that still covered Jessie's face from breakfast. The phone on the wall began ringing and Sara turned reading the caller ID.

Suddenly she was running from the room, portable phone in her hand yelling orders. "Jimmy, Michael, get dressed now. Mom-mom's on her way come on. Haul. Sam, get you're head out of that book and start picking up. Dean, take her upstairs and dress her, something nice please." Dean heard Sara answer the phone as she rushed up the stairs.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look and a shrug. Sara hadn't mentioned her in-laws much although she talked about her family almost constantly. Dean started up the stairs and noticed that Sara had stopped at the top stair. There were tears in her eyes, although when she spoke there was no hint that anything was wrong.

As soon as Sara had seen the caller ID she had known that her Mother-in-law was on her way here. She had begun stopping by unexpectedly after Jason had died. She was nice enough, but had a way of making Sara feel as if she just wasn't doing enough. As if she wasn't good enough to take care of the kids without a husband to help.

Lately, she had begun springing strange men on Sara, bringing them with her when she came for visits. As Grace began talking, Sara found that she had to stop moving she was shaking to much to continue up the steps.

Dean watched as Sara sank to the top step, her hand in her head. "Yes, Mom, yeah, come on over. How soon? Oh, you're that close." At this Sara shot a wide look of horror at Dean. Dean found himself at a loss as to what he should do. So he simply sat with Jessie in his lap, and leaned against Sara's knee.

"You've got who? Oh, Todd again. Yeah, that's a real shame, but I have plans for today already. Some friends of mine are visiting. The kids and I were just about ready to head out the door." At the woman' reply Dean saw a tear slip down her cheek. "Really, you want to keep them overnight. I just, you know Michael has a really hard time when Jack's not around. Yeah, Yeah, I know he has to learn. Yeah, well we have church in the morning and I really. Yeah, I guess they could skip it. Alright then I'll see you in a few minutes."

Dean watched as Sara pressed the end button. For a moment she looked devastated. Then she took a deep breath wiped a hand across her eyes, and said to Dean, "Can you get her dressed, and also there's a duffle in her room. If you could just pack some pajamas and an outfit for tomorrow, I have to get dressed before Grace gets here." With that she stood shoulders stooped and headed into her bedroom.

Dean quickly gathered what was needed and headed back down the stairs. He saw Sam moving around the house, picking up clothes, and toys and dropping the back in place. Sam shot a questioning glance at Dean. Dean simply shook his head in bewilderment and set about dressing Jess.

Sara quickly threw on some clothes, went into the boy's bedrooms and told them that Mom-Mom wanted to keep them overnight. Jim enthusiastically gathered up a bag to put his overnight stuff in. Michael however, said "I don't like it at Mom-Mom's. I want to stay here, Pop-Pop always gets mad at me and I won't have Jack to sleep with."

Sara knelt down and hugged Mikey hard. "Listen, bud, I know you and Pop-Pop sometimes lock horns, but he does love you and they want to spend time with you. Besides, they're taking Jessie and you know she won't go unless you go. You work on taking care of her and that will help you feel better." Sara watched as Mikey nodded and then set to gathering his clothes together.

Sara quickly went down stairs passing Sam in the living room as he finished cleaning up the video games. She leaned up, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered, "Thanks." She walked into the kitchen to find Dean putting on Jessie's sandals.

Dean was out of his element here, he knew Sara was upset over her Mother-In-Law's approaching visit but he didn't know how to help. He sighed, and said, "Sara, do you need Sam and I to head out? I don't want to cause any problems for you."

Sara turned toward Dean staring at him intently. She raised an eyebrow, and said, "Actually, if you would stay and just agree with anything I say. That would be a big help." Sara walked away as a voice called from the living room "Hello, we're here."

Sam had been standing by the fireplace, when the large woman opened the door and walked in. Sam watched as Dean followed Sara into the living room, Jessie as always perched in his arms. Sam cast a look at Dean hoping for some kind of hint as to what he was to say. Dean simply shrugged and took a spot next to Sam.

Sam watched as the large woman walked into the living room. A tall thin, man with a long nose and no chin followed behind. The man looked to be about forty-five, as he came farther into the room he moved to hug Sara. Sam studied the man and tried to remember why the guy looked familiar.

Ichabod Crane, Sam thought, mentally snapping his fingers, that's who the fellow looked like, the guy from the headless horseman tale.

Sara trying to dodge the hug, turned toward Dean instead. She quickly pulled Jessie from Dean's arms, using the little girl as a shield. "Hey, Mom, Todd, I've got the kids ready. If you can just have them back tomorrow before four o'clock, you know School night and all."

Dean noticed that Sara stepped directly between Sam and Dean trying to avoid the man that was now following her around the room.

"Oh, honey, look at this place. I just wish you would hire someone to help you," the woman said, as she turned in a slow circle. "Jimmy, come here sweetie and hug Mom-mom." Jimmy walked forward and returned his grandmothers hug. "And, Michael, how about you come here." Michael shot a look at his Mother squared his shoulders and walked toward the woman to accept his hug. Sara's Mother-in-law then turned towards Jessie. "Jessica Marie, come here, I want a kiss from you."

Dean looked down at the small girl in Sara's arms and had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. He heard Sam choke on his own laughter next to him. Sam quickly got an elbow in the side from Sara.

Jessica had her head on Sara's shoulder and was dramatically snoring for all she was worth. "Ah, Mom, how about Jess stays with me tonight. She hasn't been sleeping well the last couple of days and I thing she may be teething." Sara held the baby tighter against her shoulder.

"Nonsense, it's like I said on the phone Sara they need time away from you. You insist on babying them. They're father wouldn't like it, besides, I thought you could use some time on your own. I just happened to see Todd when I was getting my eyebrows done, I mentioned that I was coming for a visit and he leaped at the chance to stop by."

Dean couldn't stop the soft growl that erupted from him at the words coming out of the older woman's mouth. He heard an echo from Sam and they both received jabs from Sara's tiny elbows. He couldn't stop the glare on his face though, and he was careful to direct it toward the man in front of them.

Sara more felt, than heard the two Winchesters growl at the same time. She quickly gave both of them elbows in the side and turned toward Todd.

"Can't get together with you today, Todd. I have friends visiting." Sara gestured toward Dean and Sam. "I'm really sorry but I promised to take them..." with that Sara froze, she just couldn't think of anything.

Sam quickly came to the rescue. "Hiking, we're going hiking. Sara was saying that we aren't far from one of the highest points in the county. We're going to take a nice long hike."

Sara moved determindly away from the men, she set Jessie down next to Michael and gave him a hug "Take care of Jessie, okay big guy. She depends on you." She turned toward her Mother-in-law, her face as hard as a rock. "They are to sleep together, everyone in bed by eight o'clock. Jess is not to sleep alone. She doesn't like it. Do you understand?"

Grace stepped back a step from Sara's glare and nodded. "I know, they'll be fine, come on ,kids, hug Mom and say goodbye. Todd, no use standing there you can help me get the kids outside." With this Sara hugged each child, and said, "Behave, take care of each other and sleep safe. I love you guys." Sara stood at the door and watched them leave. Tears trailing down her cheek, she knew the kids needed to have a normal life, she just couldn't stand to be without them.

"Well, old Todd there ought to be careful. Some night the headless horseman's bound to come and take his head," Dean quipped, as Sara closed the door.

"I gotta say, Sara, you're Mother-in-law is selling you short. I think that you could manage to find a guy without a lazy eye all on your own," Sam said, with a snicker.

Sara burst out laughing. She sat on the couch and put her hands in her head. She leaned back, and said, "I'm planning on getting drunk. Who's with me?"

Dean cast his best come hither smile at Sara, and said, "I'm in, it must be noon somewhere right?"

Sam nodded, and said, "It's been a while since I tied one on, I'm in. I gotta warn you though, Sara, you're no match for this one." Sam nodded toward Dean.

Sara simply smiled a small smile winked. "Well, we'll see," she said.

888

Sara, Dean, and Sam hit the town later that evening, they went to dinner first and then headed to the Eagle hotel. As the trio entered the bar, a welcoming voice boomed out,. "And, here she be lads, here to drink the lot of you under the table."

Sara let out a laugh and moved to lean across the bar, hugging the small, grey-haired man that stood behind it. "Now come on, Pat. You know I haven't drunk like that in a long time." Sara dropped the man a wink and introduced the Winchesters as they stepped up to the bar. "Sam, Dean, this is my Uncle Pat, he owns this bar."

Both men nodded at Sara's uncle. Sara turned, and said, "Hey, Unc, can I get a bottle and a couple of beers."

Dean accepted the bottles from Sara's uncle and headed for an unoccupied table near the dart board. As he sat, he took a look at Sara as she stood chatting with the men around the bar. She looked beautiful; her long hair hung down her back. Her black slacks clung to her long legs, and her shirt showcased her generous curves.

Sam dropped down beside Dean, after noting the direction of Dean's glance, Sam said, "Dean, you have to be careful. We're not staying and she's not someone you'll be able to just leave in the morning. She's got too much responsibility, you don't want to make things harder on her."

Dean frowned at Sam, and said, "I don't need a sermon, Sister Sam. Any decsicion Sara decides to make will be her own. She's well aware I'm not the settling kind." Dean suddenly smiled as he watched her move toward the table. She sat in the chair across from Dean and grabbed the bottle of tequila that Dean had set there. She quickly poured three shots into the glasses she carried in her hand.

Sara picked up her drink, nodded at Dean and Sam and quickly downed it. She filled her second downed that one and opened her beer. She watched as Dean quickly downed his shot, and prepared himself a second. Sam though just sat watching. "Uh, Oh, Sam, you playing designated tonight?"

Dean laughed and clapped Sam on the shoulder. "Sam's, always designated, Man can't hold his liquor eh, Sammy?"

Sam shrugged off Dean's touch and snorted "Spending the night unconscious is not my idea of fun."

Sara smiled softly, and said, "Sometimes, unconscious is the only way to spend a night, Sam. Now who wants to throw some darts, I've actually gotten pretty good." Sara smiled a shark's smile and took another sip of her beer.

888

Dean lay on the hammock staring up at the night sky. The three of them had come home just about an hour ago, it was a little after two oclcok in the morning. Sam had gone off to bed and Sara had said she was going to get comfortable. Dean had come outside on the pretext of letting Jack out.

Now, that he was out here though he just couldn't stomach the idea of going inside. He was hoping the cold air would help to sober him up just a bit. He thought back to the evening with a snort. That girl had played him from the beginning. She had drunk all night long and if put to the question Dean would swear that she was completely sober. She was steady and coherent, two things that Dean was finding difficult to maintain at the moment.

Also, she was a shark. She had begun by playing darts with the two fellows. She had lost the first game by a mile to Dean and had turned to Sam and asked if he wanted to play. After that she had managed to win every game of the evening.

When Dean and Sam had called her on it, she had admitted that Bobby had shown her and she just seemed to have a natural aptitude. She claimed she was even better with a knife. If that was true than Dean really was impressed, because the girl was terrific at darts.

Dean heard the patio door close and Sara's soft footsteps. She was wearing a pair of track pants and an oversized sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled back again and she was carrying two beers. As she handed Dean the beer she eased her self over the side of the hammock coming to rest against Dean's side.

"It's beautiful out here at night. That's one of the reasons that Jason and I picked this lot. There's just something about this clearing, being surrounded by the forest it's like another world." Sara sipped her beer, resting her head on Dean's arm.

"What happened to him, Sara, can you tell me?" Dean asked, pulling her tighter against his side.

"I figured Brian would have filled you in on the details. He likes to tell people," Sara said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm not asking Brian, Sara, I'm asking you." Dean sipped his beer waiting.

"Jason and I had been married for ten years. We were high school sweethearts and we married right out of high school. We were living closer to town. Jimmy and Michael were 5 and 4 years old. One night, Jason had fallen asleep downstairs. I guess he heard a noise. He got up to investigate. He opened the back door to someone and was attacked and lost consciousness." Sara paused and sipped her beer. She was could feel Dean's heat all along her side and was grateful for the warmth.

"I woke up I don't remember why, I just had a bad feeling. I started for the door and heard him come up the stairs, for a split second I thought it was Jason, so I hesitated. That's all it took, he stabbed me through the shoulder. I awoke on the floor." Sara raised her hand and wiped at the tears that were flowing down her cheek.

"I quietly grabbed a hockey stick that was in the corner of our bedroom. I looked down the hall and saw him with his back to me. He was at Mike's door; his hand was on the door knob. I lifted the stick and brought it down with all my might. He fell to his knees but quickly got back up. I turned and headed down the stairs intending to lead him away."

"He caught my nightgown as I was headed down the stairs and yanked my feet out from under me. I fell the rest of the way down the stairs and then, I scrambled to my feet and made it into the kitchen. As he came around the corner, I can remember the grin on his face. He came closer and closer until he was finally just inches from me. That's when I stabbed the kitchen knife into his throat. It went all the way through and I pulled the knife to the side hoping to do the most damage." Here Sara paused. She had told only one other person the truth. She took a deep breath and continued.

"He grabbed me and threw me sideways. I was barely conscious and then he was moving closer and closer the knife jutting from the side of his neck. At that moment all I could think was that I had failed the kids you know. That I was going to leave them unprotected from this monster."

"Suddenly a man came barreling through the back door. He had a machete in his hand. He swung at the intruder and finished the beheading that I had started. I watched as the man's head parted from his shoulders, then in a cloud of dust the man was just gone. He was a vampire, looking for dinner." Sara paused, and once again wiped the tears from her eyes.

"The man was, Bobby, he had been tracking a nest. The one that attacked my family was the last one alive. Bobby later told me that he figured that I was alive simply because the vampire wanted to turn me. As I lay on the floor barely holding on I asked Bobby to check on my kids. He called the police made sure that the boys were alright and took off into the night. I woke in a hospital five days later. The doctors were so concerned with the blood loss and the fact that I was pregnant that they refused to release me for almost two weeks." Sara took a calming breath and continued.

"I was horrified. I had missed Jason's funeral, no one could tell me what had really happened. I was lost, the cops kept telling me that the man had left when I had stabbed him and that he was simply running around town with a knife sticking out of his throat. They monitored the ER's and doctor offices for weeks but picked up no leads. They eventually ruled that the man had probably died somewhere and that it was just a matter of time before someone came across his body in a field." Sara stopped speaking for a moment, and just gazed at the stars above.

Dean lay in shocked silence. He had known that whatever had brought Sara and Bobby together couldn't have been good but he hadn't expected it to be this horrifying. "How did you find Bobby again?" Dean asked.

"Believe it or not I put an ad in the city paper. Full page actually, stating that anyone with any information leading to a man fitting Bobby's description would receive a reward. I simply stated that this man had done a great service for me and that I needed to thank him in person. Bobby called two weeks later. I begged him to come and see me; I told him I needed answers. Bobby came and that's when I found out just what kind of a world we live in." Sara took a last sip and tossed the bottle down on the grass beside her.

Sara turned so that she lay facing Dean. Her whole body pressed against his. She found herself inhaling Dean's scent; it had been so long since she had been near a man. It was a release just to lie against the length of him. She knew in the back of her head that she couldn't allow anything more to happen. Dean was destined to wander the world and she was destined to stay and protect her kids. She couldn't allow her heart to become tangled with this man and his destiny. She could feel though, for right now, for just this moment she could allow herself to feel.


	7. Chapter 7

They could see her, smell her, almost taste her, she was so close. They had been watching for weeks, waiting for her to leave the protection of the house. So far she had been too careful, and now finally here she was within feet of the boundary. They stayed quiet and still, impossible to detect in the shadows, watching with their obsidian eyes and enjoying the human's scent and emotions. They thrived not only on human blood but also on their strongest emotion, fear. They were starving, it had been too long.

They would have moved on to easier prey, except, they sensed that this one was different. Feeding on her would be special, she was cunning and brave, feeding on her family and then killing her slowly would cause her the ultimate agony. Normally, they would have attempted to enter the house but, she was too careful and the property was too dangerous for them.

They had worried when the others arrived; the others were dangerous they, could sense it. But now, they had ties to the family, killing them would simply add to the emotions they were yearning to feed on.

They remained in the shadows, soon now, they knew they would get their chance soon.

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Dean gathered Sara's warm body against his own. He liked the fact that she was tall, her long legs fit perfectly against his. Her hair smelled like strawberries, her skin felt smooth and soft. He placed a hand on her heart shaped face. Her eyes were closed, her dark lashes lay against her cheeks, heavy shadows rested beneath her eyes.

"Hey," Dean said, asking for her attention. Sara opened her eyes and looked up at him, a faint smile pulled at her lips. "Sara, you are strong and brave. They're going to be okay, you'll take care of them I know it. They'll grow up strong and safe and it will be because of you."

Sara stared up into Dean's eyes and saw the sadness. "Dean, you did a wonderful job with Sam, I would be so proud if my boys turned out half as well as you and Sam. I know what you've done for him, what you've given up. I know what you've sacrificed Dean."

Dean looked at the woman he held in his arms, it took a moment for him to find his voice. "Sammy turned out okay, didn't he? I mean for the way we were raised, he's really good, you know. He always does the right thing." At this Dean paused, when he continued his voice was even lower. "He makes me proud."

Sara stared up at Dean and laid a hand on his face stroking his cheek gently. "No, Dean, that's not what I said. You and Sam are both men that any mother would be proud of. And don't try to act as if you didn't raise Sam. He talks you know, he talks a lot. Once he gets going he just kind of rambles, he talked about anything and everything."

At this Sara smiled and rolled her eyes. "He reminds me so much of Michael. Anyway I know, I listened and I know what you've done for him. When you look at Sam you should be able to see yourself in everything he does, I do. You're the one that told him what he needed to know to be a man."

Dean closed his eyes against the feelings that Sara's soft words evoked. He held her for a long time, hammock swinging in the breeze. He thought she had finally fallen asleep when, she said, "Dean?" A question in her voice. "You're Dad, Sam told me, what you think he did."

Dean pulled away from Sara resting on his back his arms beneath his head. Sara felt the cold night air as soon as he moved away. She didn't want to say anything that would hurt him, however, if she could give him some semblance of peace she had to try.

"Dean, Sam said that John traded his life for yours. I just want you to hear me Dean. I know how angry you must be with him. I know it must be eating you alive, but I just want you to listen. If I had been in your Dad's position, if one of my kids were lying in that hospital bed dying, no hope left. I would call upon the devil himself to save them. My life when compared to theirs is only a means to an end." She leaned upon Dean willing him to open his eyes and look at her.

She only continued speaking once she saw the clear green color of his eyes. "Dean, what would you have done, if it had been Sam? What would you be willing to give up in order to keep Sammy safe? You've already given up your life to keep him safe, would you hesitate to give up your soul?" She laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, feeling his warmth. "I wouldn't and your Dad didn't. He gave up his life because knowing that you were dead would have killed him anyway."

Dean pulled her against him, holding onto her tightly. He buried his face in her hair and waited for the ache that her words had caused, to ease. As he lay there he realized that some of the pain from his father's death had also eased. He felt as if he could breathe for the first time in a long while. Sara was right; Dean had prepared himself his whole life, to be a sacrifice for Sam. To take his place, or to stand beside him. Whichever would be required. He finally accepted that right or wrong what his father had done, he had done for love.

Dean placed his hand on Sara's face and kissed her as gently as he knew how. He pressed kisses against her closed eyes over and over again before pressing his lips fully against hers. Giving no quarter, allowing her no moment to think, only allowing her to feel.

Sara felt like she was on fire. His work roughened hands were gently tracing the lines of her face and her neck. His mouth made it impossible for rational thought. She could hear herself chant, more, more, more she wasn't' sure if the words ever made it outside of her head.

She felt a charge when Dean's hands suddenly moved beneath her old battered sweatshirt. She was completely overwhelmed.

Dean couldn't stop running his hands over Sara's smooth skin, he knew that she was his for the taking; there was no hesitation on her part. She was with him at this moment completely. At this moment. Suddenly, Dean slowed his hands and mouth. He had come to know Sara well over the last week. He had come to admire both her values and her courage. He pulled back completely, hands shaking.

"Sara, I want you. I want you now. But I can't keep you, you realize that right? That for us, it can never be anymore than right now," Dean whispered, the words, cursing his stupid honor for not just taking what he could, while he could. He knew her, he knew that if given a moment to stop and think he knew what her answer would be.

Sara tried to focus on Dean's words. She blinked up at him, trying to slow her pounding heart. She knew what he was saying, hell, only a little while ago the same thoughts had run through her mind. She choose her words carefully, smiling up into his beautiful eyes.

"Dean, I'm not built this way. As much as I want this, and I really want this I can't. You need to be free, you have a job to do and so do I. I can't be with you like this and not have it change me."

"As it is you and your brother have so tangled yourselves in my heart that you'll be a part of me forever. I can't afford to regret any decisions I make, my life is not my own." Sara dropped her eyes to the amulet he wore around his neck. She reached up her hand and touched it gently.

Dean lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. He searched her eyes, and said, "I knew, and you're right, but I want you to know if my destiny was my own. I would stay here and make a life with you and your kids." Dean looked at her, his gaze steady. "I will make one promise, when we leave here. You need me for anything, and I will move heaven and earth to be there for you. I promise." He kissed her one more time, a soft fleeting kiss.

Dean leaned back pulling her with him and simply held her. She lay against his cheek, and said, "Will you leave soon?"

Dean didn't know how to answer; Sam and him had scoured the area and had been unable to find any proof that there was something wrong. All they had was their instincts on full alert. "To be honest I'm not sure. I've been putting away the money that Brian's been paying me. I wouldn't mind earning a little more before we pull out. Is that alright?"

Sara suddenly shifted trying to see into his downcast eyes. "Dean, look at me, look at me." As he reluctantly raised his eyes he felt her gaze turn fierce. "You've felt it too. That's why you and Sam are still here. You know something's wrong."

Dean shook his head "I don't know, Sara, we've looked we can't see anything wrong, it just feels..."

"Wrong, wrong in a big blaring way that never quite leaves you. I know, I've been trying to ignore it. To tell myself that I was making things up, but." Sara suddenly felt so tired, she hadn't slept in weeks. She was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. At this point she was afraid that when it finally happened when the ball finally dropped she would be too tired to save her small family.

Dean looked at her seeing the signs of exhaustion, of defeat. He suddenly shot her his best smile, big and full of teeth. "How, about you let me take you to bed" he said, in his slyest tone. He allowed his seriousness to show thru. "How about, you let me take you to bed, and hold you while you sleep. The kids aren't here; we know we're safe in the house. Let me help you, Sara. You spend your life reaching out to others in a dozen different ways, caring for them tirelessly. Let me help you at least while I'm able."

Sara saw the kindess in the gesture and it simply overwhelmed her. She nodded tears rolling down her chin. She simply, said, "Thank you."

Dean rolled out of the hammock in one swift motion, he felt a prickle of unease touch his neck as he put his back to the forest behind him. He choose to ignore it, like he had said to Sara, there was no doubt that the house was safe. Whatever it was could have one more night. Tomorrow he would hunt it down and destroy it. Tonight, was about saving someone in a different way.

Sara lay on the hammock as Dean rocked out. She smiled up at him wiping the tears from her eyes. She saw him glance behind himself, toward the forest and felt unease crawl up her spine. Before the thoughts could form, he reached down and picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Hand firmly planted on her backside, she dangled down his back.

Dean listened to Sara's laugh as he walked into the house and headed up to her room. As he entered he realized that he had been in every corner of this house except this room. The room was a warm coffee color, dominated by a huge king bed centered against one wall. The caramel colored bedding was beautiful, and the rug was thick beneath his boots. As he carefully set Sara down on the big bed he noticed the framed artwork on the walls.

He laughed as he saw the different inscriptions on the pieces; Sara had built herself quite a gallery. Dean turned toward her lifting an eyebrow as he said, "They're beautiful, you're lucky you know."

Sara nodded and looked proudly at the collection of finger paintings, drawings, and stories that lined the walls around her room. She went to bed looking at her children's accomplishments and she woke the same way. It gave her a sense of comfort and peace.

Sara watched as Dean kicked off his boots and took off the button down shirt he was wearing. Sara moved to the big bed and carefully slid in. She watched with lowered lids as Dean moved about the room lowering the shades at the windows. She saw him smile as he noticed the symbols carefully printed on each blind.

Dean looked at her lying on the bed and felt peace. He was doing the right thing, he couldn't offer her anymore, and she wouldn't accept anymore. He lay down beside her, gathered her warm body close, and felt a sense of rightness begin to flow thru him.

Within moments, all that could be heard in the room was the rhythm of gentle breathing. They remained like that thru the night and into the morning. As morning came and went, they both remained oblivious to the danger that was mounting.

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Sam looked up from the manuscript he was reading to glance at the clock once again. He had woken up around seven o'clock this morning, and quickly realized that Dean's bed hadn't been slept in. He wasn't overly worried he would have been blind not to realize that Sara and Dean were becoming closer and closer.

Sam felt a mixture of joy and sadness at the thought. They belonged together, they would have been so right. But Sam knew that life just wasn't that simple. He only hoped that when he and Dean finally left this family behind, there would be no hard feelings between the two. Sam had every intention of coming back to this house in the woods and he would fight even his big brother if he tried to stop him.

A visit from time to time would only be a benefit for both the weary hunters. Sam had come to think of this place as home. A home, he may not be able to stay in, but still a safe harbor. Someplace to focus on when things got bad, as they tended to do.

Sam glanced at the clock once again, he couldn't wait any longer. He hadn't seen Dean since they had returned from the bar last night. Sam grinned to himself at the way Sara had kicked Dean's ass in darts. She had her throw perfected. Sam probably should have warned Dean, he had come across the board down in the basement with hundreds and hundreds of pinpoints and even larger slices that showed how much time she spent practicing.

Sam mounted the stairs carefully; he didn't want to disturb them he just wanted to be sure they were okay. He had been feeling more and more uneasy as the day progressed. Now at nearly eleven o'clock in the morning he was starting to jump out of his skin.

Sam approached Sara's door, noting that it was partially opened. He listened for a moment but could make out no noise. He walked toward the opening and carefully looked in.

Sam could make out in the dim light Dean laying on his side an arm wrapped around Sara's waist. He quickly turned away and headed back down the stairs. He was glad that Sara had finally found the peace she had been missing.

As Sam entered the kitchen he noted that Jack was standing by the door, asking to go out. Sam decided that a walk with the dog was a good way to shake the uneasy feeling he had. He would patrol the property and see if he was able to find something to share with Dean later.

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The big dog danced as he realized that the man was going to walk with him. He immediately forgot the bad feeling he had when they began walking through the yard. The dog danced and played happy to be with the man, who was always quick with a kind word and an ear scratch.

As they neared the property line the big dog became worried. The man was watching, careful of where he walked but the dog knew. He knew that they were out there. They had been calling to the big dog for a while. He knew though that they were dangerous and that the girl would not want him to leave the property. He had ignored the call, sensing the danger in it.

The man kept stepping closer and closer to the property. The big dog had been trained to prevent the girl's young ones from crossing this line. It was his most important duty. He was confused though, the man wasn't one of the girl's, he smelled different. But the girl treated him as if he was her's. In a moment's decision the big dog decided to treat him as such.

Just as the young man stepped over the boundary, the big dog quickly acted as he had been taught. He moved around the man blocking his way, using his big body and a series of woofs he began herding the big man back onto the property.

The man held up his arms, telling him he was a good dog. The big dog ignored the comments and continued forcing the man back. The big dog was concentrating so hard on pushing the man away from danger that he barely even registered the pain that flared in his rear leg.

He let out a growl and lunged at the man one last time, forcing him to back up. Back up onto the safety of the property. The dog then turned and faced his attacker. The fear that ran through him almost made the big dog run. His leg would no longer support him and he knew that he would not be at full strength to defeat whatever had hurt him. He knew what his job was, he had always known what the girl expected. His life for the young one's, his life for hers.

He gathered himself to jump at at the shadow that was before him. He couldn't see the danger but knew it was coming from the shadows.

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Sam didn't know what was wrong, one moment Jack had been wandering by his side. And the next he had turned on Sam and was forcing him backward toward the house. For one crazy moment Sam thought that the dog had gone mad. That Dean had been right about more than just Jack's resemblance to the infamous Cujo. The more that Sam tried to push forward the more the aggressive the dog got.

Suddenly, Sam felt an evil that made him want to turn and retch. He saw Jack's back leg kick out from behind him and suddenly a bright bloom of blood began spreading on Jack's back leg.

Sam pulled his .45 from his pocket, just as Jack began growling and snapping still driving him backwards. Sam couldn't see anything other than the shadows of the forest. Then he noticed that the area behind Jack seemed unnaturally dark as if the light was being sucked from the area.

Sam out of options took aim at the deepest part of the shadows and fired rapidly. He heard a cry and for a moment saw something behind the dog. Jack didn't flinch at the sound of gunshots he simply lunged at the last moment throwing his not inconsiderable weight against Sam and toppling him backward, much as he had when Sam had first met him.

Sam felt the dog, collapse partially on top of his left leg. Sam pulled his gun up again and took aim. He relaxed slightly as he narrowed his gaze toward the shadowed woods. Everything seemed normal again, yes, it was still dark, but the all encompassing shadow was gone.

Sam ran his hands over Jack whispering to him, telling him that he had done good. He looked to the house find Sara sprinting toward them, bare feet flying, shotgun in hand. Dean followed running full out, gun in hand but she was far outpacing him.

Sam called out "Sara, slow down it's okay, Jack's been hurt." Sam winced as he thought of the damage the ground was doing to Sara's feet. He watched her slow slightly, gun at the ready scanning the forest before Sam.

Dean never slowed, he simply ran, moving ahead of Sara and Sam putting himself between them and the forest. Sara slid to a halt beside Jack, she quickly scanned the area around them and grabbed hold of the big red collar that Jack wore around his neck. She pulled urging Jack to his feet, over and over again, she yelled at the dog to move, panic seeping into her voice.

Jack moved another three feet toward the house, before Sara allowed him to sink to the ground. She wrapped her arms around the dog's neck and began to lovingly praise his bravery. "Jacky, you're the best boy. You did good you kept him safe, good job." Sam listened as she kept up the never ending litany.

Dean barked out "Sam, you okay?" At Sam's reassurance, Dean said, "Head up to the house, Sammy, we need something to carry him out on." Dean's eyes never left the forest.

Sam took off at a run, heading for the garage. Sara watched Sam run toward the garage, and said to Dean, "We're safe, the yards protected. We're far enough back now, nothing will cross onto the property."

Dean nodded and moved to Sara's side running his hands through the dog's thick fur. He glanced at the dog's hind leg and quickly pulled off his tee shirt holding it to the ragged wound. He looked up as Sam approached carrying a piece of plywood, a blanket, and the first aid kit from the Impala.

Dean quickly dressed the wound on the dog's leg and spread the blanket under his head. "I'm going to pick him up in sections and you two will keep sliding the blanket under him as we go. Ready?"

They worked quickly and efficiently trying not to cause Jack any more pain. He was already unconscious from the blood loss. As they finally had the blanket under him they used the four corners of the blanket and lifted the dog onto the plywood. Then they each lifted him and began the trek back to the garage. As they neared the garage, Sara quickly moved the rear seats of the mini van, making room for the dog. Sam quickly ran into the house grabbing a shirt for Dean and the keys for the van.

As Dean got into the drive's side, Sam slammed the gate to the van shut, just before he did, he noticed that Sara hadn't bothered grabbing shoes. He spared a glance for Jack noticing just how shallow his breathing was. Sam said a quick prayer for the dog that had saved him and got into the van.


	8. Chapter 8

Sam sat in the waiting room between a yipping Pomeranian and a bird that felt the need to scream, "Bad dog" every time the dog barked. His head felt as if it was filled with cotton and he couldn't seem to focus on anything other than the incessant noise around him.

Sam and Dean had been in the waiting room for and hour now. Sara had walked back with Jack when they had arrived and hadn't come out front again. Dean was pacing, he had found a small amount of free space by the front desk and he made good use out of it. Sam had noticed that it took Dean six steps to reach the end of the counter, and then it was six steps back.

Sam jumped to his feet as he heard Sara's soft voice coming down the hallway. She paused for a moment speaking to the thin man beside her. She was frowning, and shaking her head. Sam exchanged a quick glance with Dean both thinking that it couldn't be good.

Dean and Sam moved in unison toward Sara, Dean noted that her clothes were covered in hair and blood and that she wore a pair of surgical slippers on her feet. She looked dead tired and was moving like a much older woman. Sara left the man she was standing with and moved to meet Sam and Dean.

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Sara thanked Dr. Sims for explaining, Jack's condition to her and looked up. The two boys stood not ten feet away, both with the same sad expressions. Sara smiled softly and moved to meet them. She simply leaned up and kissed first Sam and then Dean on the cheek. She held out her hands one to each and waited until they grasped hers.

She then led them back to a small exam room. She turned as they followed her in "Jack's still alive. He went into shock when we first arrived due to the blood loss. However, they've stabilized him and are giving him fluids. The leg is actually not that bad; if he survives he probably won't even have a limp. They've got him sedated and they're waiting to see if he responds to treatment." A lone tear snaked its way down her cheek.

Sara suddenly turned toward Sam and hugged him so hard he heard his back crack. He looked down into her tear stained face and felt himself struggle to hold back the tears. He didn't know what to say so he just pulled her close and whispered how sorry he was.

Sara pulled back from his embrace and grabbed his chin tightly in her hand. She drew his face down and stared into his eyes. "Sammy, you listen to me. Jack is beloved, but he's a dog. And if he doesn't make it today, I will get down and thank god that he died to keep you safe. It's what he was meant for." Sara turned toward Dean, keeping one hand on Sam, and said, "I told the vet that we heard his cry and found him like that." Sara took a deep breath, and asked, "now, Sam did you see what..."

At the sound of footsteps running in the hall, Dean reached out and opened the door. "Mrs. Powers, we need you Jack's waking up and we can't get near him." Dean watched Sara as she followed the young tech down the hall." Dean turned toward Sam, and said. "I'm gonna run back to the house and get Sara a change of clothes. Do you need anything?"

Sam frowned, he didn't feel comfortable with Dean leaving but he was sure that Dean wanted to wash up. His shirt and clothes were covered in blood from when he had carried Jack into the waiting room of the animal hospital. "Dean I don't want you anywhere near those woods, just go and come back, Sara's going to need you here. I'd appreciate it if you would bring back my laptop. I need to see if I can figure out what I saw." Dean nodded and walked away.

Sam returned to the waiting room and took to pacing in Dean's stead. It was nearing three o'clock when he remembered the kids. They were supposed to be returned by four o'clock. He wondered if Sara had thought to make a call putting off their arrival. He quickly approached the tech that was sitting at the desk

The girl behind the desk was about Sam's age with bleached blond hair and long red nails. Sam felt slightly horrified at the way she was eyeing him up. He pasted on a smile, and asked, "Hi, I came in with Mrs. Powers this afternoon, with Jack the saint. I needed to speak with Mrs. Powers and I wandered if you could help me." Sam waited as the girl's face lit up.

"Hi, I'm Crystal. The older woman you came in with is still with Jack. He's being a real problem, tried to bite a couple of nurses and that woman won't let us muzzle him." With this information imparted Crystal's smile grew even brighter. Sam was actually starting to feel nauseas. Even Sara's kind words hadn't been enough to alleviate the guilt that Sam felt over the big dog's injury.

Crystal stood and beckoned Sam with one long nail. "Why don't you follow me and we'll see if we can find them." As Sam followed he couldn't help but feel like a lamb going to slaughter.

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Dean raced back to the house, quickly showering and grabbing Sam's laptop. He swung upstairs to Sara's room and quickly grabbed a change of clean clothes. He quickly switched keys and was pulling down the drive in the Impala within thirty minutes of leaving the clinic.

In the quiet of the car, as he returned to the clinic, he couldn't help but send yet another vow of thanks toward, fate, god or just dumb luck that had made that dog protect Sammy. He had seen first hand the ragged wound that the dog had received. The only reason the damage hadn't been worse was that it had bitten Jack in the hindquarters where his hair was the thickest. If Sam had suffered the same bite he would have been dead or maimed. Again, Dean said a whisper of thanks as he pulled into the clinic parking lot.

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Sam was at his wits edge he had been following, Crystal for the last ten minutes as she gave him a by blow tour of the clinic, while questioning him with a single mindedness that was frightening. He finally lost the last of his patience, and snapped, "It really is very important that I speak with my girlfriend."

"You're girlfriend?" Crystal pouted as she pulled open a pair of double door that they had yet to go through. "You never said she was you're girlfriend." Crystal shot him an accusing glance, pointed down yet another hall and left.

God, if Sam had known that it was that easy to get rid of Crystal he would have claimed Sara as his girlfriend at the beginning. Sam started down the hall, peaking into the tiny square windows at each door, until finally he spotted Sara standing at Jack's head petting him gently while surrounded by several people.

He knocked on the door lightly and a technician beckoned him to enter. "Sara, I just wanted to double check that you called your Mother-in-law about the kids." Sam watched as Sara's face drained of color.

"Shit, Shit I forgot, Sam." As soon as she moved away from the dog, a low growl could be heard. The two women that were in the process of bandaging Jack's rear leg moved away from the table quickly. Sara quickly returned to the dog's head, and said, "Sam, see if he'll behave for you. They need to get him wrapped up but they're afraid to sedate him any longer.

Sam moved toward Jack's head and began stroking the dog's head, talking to him quietly telling him how brave he had been. Sara started out the door intending to call her family when the whimpering began. Sara's heart just broke; it was the sound Jack had made as a puppy, whenever he was left alone. Sara felt the tears she had been holding fall down her face. She returned to the dog and pressed her face to his, letting him smell her, urging him to rest.

"Sam, here's my cell phone; there's no reception back here. Call my Dad; tell him what's happened and where we are. Explain about Judy and ask my Dad to call her and have her bring the kids to my Mom. Make sure my Dad does not tell the kids what's happened to Jack. I don't want to say anything until I'm sure he's out of trouble. Ask Dad to keep the kids for the next two days. I don't want them back at the house until we kill the bastard that did this," Sara said, forgetting for a moment the others in the room. Luckily they were still hesitating to return to Jack's side and they didn't seem to notice Sara's words.

Sam nodded and turned to leave "Oh and, Sam you need to speak to my Dad, my Mom won't get it, and you don't have to lie to him." Sam nodded at Sara's words and hurried down the hall.

Sam returned to the waiting room and continued out the front door. He quickly placed the call, identifying himself to Sara's dad. Sam was relieved to hear the efficiency in the older man's voice as he said that he would take care of the kids. He was about to hang up when the Sara's father asked, "Sam, you and Dean are friends of Bobby's right?"

At Sam's affirmation Sara's father continued. "You'll watch out for my daughter right,You, and your brother?" At Sam's "yes sir" the man simply said thanks and hung up on Sam.

Sam turned toward the lot as he saw the dark shadow that was the Impala park in a spot near the entrance. Sam practically ran at Dean unable to hold back a sigh of pleasure at the cups of coffee in Dean's hands. Sam took one of the cups and grabbed the bag that contained his laptop.

Dean took a good look at Sam and noted the younger man's unease. Dean knew that Sam was struggling with guilt over Jack. "Sam, why don't you take a break, maybe start researching whatever attacked you. I'll handle Sara for awhile." Sam shot Dean a grateful look and headed toward the car.

Dean watched Sam walk away and sent up yet another whispered thank you. Dean entered the clinic and walked straight up to the desk. He noted the receptionist's name tag and pulled out his trademark grin. "Well, hey there, Crystal. I'm here to see a woman named Sara, she came in with a Saint Bernard." The woman had been smiling and nodding at Dean up until the moment he mentioned Sara's name.

She gave a dramatic sigh, and said "Oh, another one, don't tell me she's your girlfriend as well. Boy she must really get around." She stood and moved to the filing cabinet, giving the pile of files beside her half-hearted attention.

Dean suddenly decided that the time for tact was long gone. He simply walked past the girl and started down the hall. The girl moved to follow him, arguing with him as she followed. He ignored her and started systematically trying to locate Sara in the huge building.

Dean finally found Sara; she was standing in a room by herself. Jack lay on a table still and quiet. Dean felt his throat tighten at the sight. He quietly opened the door and approached the table. As Sara lifted her head he expected to see sorrow in her eyes. Instead her face lit up.

"Dean, they think he's going to be okay. As long as he can keep fighting any infections, they think he may have a good chance." Sara bent over and dropped a kiss on the dog's forehead.

Sara watched as Dean reached out and scratched Jack's silky ears. He leaned down and whispered something in the dog's ear. Sara suddenly felt wiped; it seemed like days since she had fallen asleep in Dean's arms. Sara's head felt stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't seem to stop herself from swaying.

Dean quickly moved to put his arms around her. She was pale and shaking, he quickly eased her down on a chair that was placed in the corner. "Is it okay to leave him for a while Sara, you need to get cleaned up and eat."

Sara nodded tiredly, and said, "Yeah, he finally gave in to being sedated. He should be out for a while. It was just; well I just wanted to be with him alone for a few moments. To uh, thank him you know, for Sam. Stupid right?" Sara was careful to avoid eye contact with Dean.

Dean wrapped a free arm around Sara and led her from the room. "Nope, nothing wrong with it, I thanked the big guy myself. Listen, I brought you some clothes and a bite to eat. I'm going to take you out to the reception area and see if we can't find you a place to clean up."

Sara simply leaned on Dean grateful that for once she didn't need to think of the details. That she could just be. "Thanks, Dean." Sara said, happy to stay within the confines of Dean's arm.

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Sam rubbed his eyes once again; he was sitting in the Impala with his laptop in front of him trying to make some sense of what he had seen. He looked at his laptop again and listed in his mind the facts he had so far. He just couldn't wrap his mind around what he had seen. There had been nothing but the shadow at first, but then once he had fired he had heard what seemed like a human scream and he had glimpsed a figure. It had appeared to be a young man with black eyes, no pupil, and no iris. The boy had blood around his mouth as though he had bitten Jack himself, and Sam thought that he had a mouthful of ragged teeth.

Sam rubbed his eyes again and jumped when he heard a knock on his window. He turned sharply and noted Sara standing there. Just then Dean opened the driver's side door and slid in. Dean noticing the quiet in the car automatically turned on the battery and turned the radio on low to a local classic rock station.

Sara waited until Sam opened the door and got out. She quickly slid onto the bench seat next to Dean and waited until Sam slid in next to her. The three of them sat for a moment listening to an old Kansas song playing softly. Sara took a sip of her coffee and leaned her head against the bench seat.

"What'd you find Sammy, what's the big bad." Dean asked, his head also, leaned back against the bench seat.

"You're not going to believe it, Dean, I'm not even sure if I'm right this time." Sam opened his laptop and stared at the eye witness account on the page in front of him. "Apparently back in 1998 a man was approached in a parking lot by two young kids. They knocked on his window and asked if the man would give them a ride home. The man felt an uncontrollable amount of fear. And several times he just barely managed to stop himself before opening the door and letting them in." Sam paused and sipped his already cold coffee.

"Anyway, it was then that he noticed the kid's eyes. They had no irises and no pupils showed. Their eyes were completely black. The man managed to pull himself together and drive off. Now I've come across hundreds of these same accounts. In each case, the kids were young between 12 and 17. There always seems to be two of them and in every case people feel inexplicable terror. And then there are the eyes nothing but black every time."

Dean frowned in thought, and said, "You're telling me that we're looking at a Black Eyed Kid? I mean there's no proof they're even real. No one's ever heard of an account where anyone ever actually let these kids in."

Sam stared at Dean in surprise "You've heard of BEK, Black Eyed Kids. Dude I'm impressed, I hadn't heard of them until just now."

"Hey, Sam, no matter what you think, I'm not just a pretty face," Dean said, sending a smirk in Sam's direction.

Sara interrupted, "I don't understand, I mean they didn't try and enter the house. They've been lurking outside the property for the last few weeks why do you think it's these kids."

"Well, to be honest it's kind of a shot in the dark, I used process of elimination. When I shot the shadows behind Jack I caught a glimpse of a young man, with black eyes, and a mouth full of ragged teeth. We know it wasn't a vampire, the teeth marks don't match up. We know it wasn't a possession, because of the teeth. I'm at a loss; this is what I have if you have a better idea, feel free to let me in on it," Sam said, slumping in his seat.

Dean frowned in thought "Maybe, they haven't been able to enter the property. I mean the place is like a fortress. So maybe for whatever reason they were content to try and lure someone away."

Sam nodded lost in thought. "Yeah, and if Jack hadn't been quick to act, maybe they would have gotten me. That would have caused you guys to enter the woods, leaving you unprotected as well. God, I've gotta find that dog a big old bone as a thank you."

Sara said, "What now? I mean Jack's fine to leave and the kids are safe at my parents. How do we catch and kill this thing?"

Dean exchanged a look with Sam; they both had the same feeling. There was no way they were going to let Sara come along. "Well, I'm figuring since they always travel in pairs, that there are actually two kids. And everything I've heard leads me to believe that they're similar to vampires, so I'm thinking same m.o. cut off their heads and poof!"

Dean paused and shook his head "You're not coming Sara. You can go to your parents and stay. Sam and I will take care of this." Dean stared out the window rather than face Sara. "You're just not trained enough, and I'm afraid that having you with us would only lead to someone getting hurt."

Sara actually snorted at Dean's words. "Yeah, right cause God knows you guys never get hurt when you're on your own." Sara thought quickly, she knew there was no point in fighting Dean. But she wasn't about to sit back and wait while the two hunters risked themselves trying to save her family. "I'm not going to my Mom's but, I promise I'll stay in the house. That way at least if one of you gets hurt or there's a problem, I'll be there to help."

Dean was shocked by Sara's quick agreement. He narrowed his eyes at her, and said, "Swear, Sara, you have to swear that you won't leave the property, no matter what you may hear or see. If you don't swear I will find a place and lock you up." Dean glared at the Sara willing her to see how serious he was.

Sara turned and looked straight into Dean's eyes. "I swear".


	9. Chapter 9

It was around five in the evening when they finally made it back to the house. As Dean pulled the Impala into the garage he finally allowed himself to realize just how tired he was.

For a moment they just sat on the big bench seat and allowed the quiet to sink in. Finally, after a few minutes Sam broke the silence. "Listen, I think we should wait until tomorrow evening to go after these things. We're all shot, plus that will give us time to come up with some sort of plan."

Sam felt uneasy, about the promise Sara had made. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he had very little faith that she would keep it. Sara was first and foremost a woman who took care of her own. Sam knew without a doubt that Dean and Sam where now included on her list of people to protect.

Whether that involved going toe to toe with some sort of danger or making sure they had enough to eat didn't make a difference to Sara. Either way she would do what needed to be done to keep those she loved safe. In that way the similarities between Dean and her were remarkable.

Dean was the same way, look at the promise he had made Sam at the Inn in Connecticut. He had promised Sam that he would kill Sam if necessary. But when it had come down to it and Dean had known that Sam had killed a hunter Dean had refused.

To be honest it haunted Sam to know that if it came down to it, Dean may not be able to kill an evil Sam. And what was worse, if Dean did kill Sam it would be signing Dean's own death warrant. Sam knew that Dean wouldn't long survive Sam's death, especially if Dean was the cause.

Sam shuddered slightly and pushed the thought away, there was nothing he could do about it now and to dwell on it only made him feel lost. What would happen would happen, he and Dean would deal they always did.

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Dean wanted to argue with Sam. He was itching to kill these kids tonight, hell, now. But one look at how tired Sam and Sara looked convinced him that he could wait. "Sounds good, Sam. Sara, do you think you could make some dinner, while Sam and I do a little research?"

Dean watched as Sara focused blearily on his face. She nodded slowly, and said, "Yeah, no problem, I'll take care of you guys." Dean watched as Sara seemed to pull herself together. He knew that as long as she had someone to watch out for she would go to the ends of the earth if necessary. It was a trait that he shared with her. For family, for those she loved, Dean sensed that she would do anything to keep them safe.

Sam opened the door and slid out holding out a hand to help Sara stand. Sara quickly made for the house. Sam waited until she disappeared inside and called out to Dean. Sam gestured to Dean to pause, and Dean moved to stand next to Sam.

Sam's voice was emphatic as he spoke, "Dean, we have to get her out of here. There's no way, she's going to just sit in the house and wait to see if we come back out of the woods."

Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam. "Sam, she promised she'll stay here. She's not one to promise something she has no intention of keeping."

"Bullshit, Dean, that woman will wait all of five minutes after we leave the house. Do you actually believe she's going to just stand back and let us risk our lives?" Sam said softly. "Would you?"

Shit, thought Dean he hadn't really thought of it that way. Dean didn't make promises he couldn't keep, however he knew that when it really came down to it he would break a promise without thought. Hell, he'd already broken the mother of all promises to Sammy and he hadn't felt a twinge of guilt. "Shit," Dean said. "What are we going to do? Short of tying her up we'll never keep her in here. And to be honest she's so stubborn tying her up probably wouldn't even work."

Sam stood for a moment and had a thought. "What if we go tonight. After she's settled in, we'll head out and take care of the kids without her knowing." Sam knew as far as plans go it was weak, but he really couldn't see any other options.

Dean frowned and nodded. "I'll get her to sleep and we'll go. Let's go figure out what will kill the bastards and get ready." Dean turned and headed into the house.

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Sara was in the kitchen, making dinner deep in thought. She found herself turning up the radio even louder than usual. She couldn't stand the quiet. When everything was silent, she found herself doubting her ability to keep the people she loved safe. Since her world had fallen apart Sara surrounded herself with noise day and night.

The last time she had willingly embraced silence her husband had been killed, her children threatened and herself attacked. Yes, silence was her enemy and she waged war on it with all the weapons at her disposal. Her hand reached out and turned the radio up another notch.

As the sounds moved through her, she found herself better able to think, to act, to be who she needed to be. She quickly began focusing on the problem at hand. She had no intention of staying safe in the house, while the hunters risked their lives for her.

She had come to love the two hardened men that had barged into her life. They were rough, hard as nails, intelligent and no doubt deadly. However, they were also young men that had known very little kindness and tenderness in their lives. Sara's heart reached out to them, she knew in her mind that the problems they faced were beyond her ability to fix.

To Sara that just encouraged her to do what she could to prepare them for their uncertain future. It wasn't in Sara's nature to sit back and wait for a solution, no she had a problem and she attacked it, head on.

Sara's hands moved on autopilot as she moved about making food to sustain the young men she now thought of as family. As she cooked she let her mind wander, discarding plan after plan as she worked to figure out a way to save everyone.

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Sam sat staring at Sara's computer, losing his place in the text once again. He had borrowed Sara's office for the simple reason that her computer rocked. He had also thought that closing the door would help shut out the noise that was blaring from the kitchen radio. What he hadn't counted on was the blaring noise that was emanating from his big brother who was pacing behind Sam.

Dean was pacing as per usual, that Sam could ignore. There were times in his life that Sam actually found solace in Dean's pacing, a moving Dean was a focused Dean. It meant that he was turning a problem over and over again in his head and would soon come up with a plan. Crappy or not, at least they would have something to go on.

However, tonight apparently whatever problem Dean was working on wasn't being solved by just pacing. Apparently, this problem was so large that Dean felt the need to mumble along with the music that could just be heard from the kitchen.

On top of the mumbling, he was frequently asking what Sam had so far. Seeing that Sam couldn't even concentrate on his name with all the interruptions, he was no closer to finding a way to kill the Black Eyed Kids.

"Sam, what you got, how about silver to the heart? Or consecrated iron rounds?" Dean asked, not even waiting for an answer as he started signing a Metallica song under his breath.

Sam suddenly jumped to his feet and stormed toward the office door. "That's it, you're out of here. Get, I don't care where you go, but you can't stay here." Sam actually grabbed Dean's arm pushed him through the door and hit the lock as he slammed it shut.

Sam sighed at the relative quiet and sat down at the desk, quickly getting lost in the information before him.

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Dean glanced at the door that had just been slammed and grinned. He always felt a small amount of guilt at leaving the majority of research to Sam. Sam's act of kicking Dean out when Dean had just offered a bit of advice absolved Dean of that guilt.

Dean turned and headed toward the rock that was blaring full tilt from the kitchen. He frowned slightly as he thought about how little Sara had eaten at dinner. She had seemed preoccupied and Dean knew that didn't bode well. As he entered the kitchen he found Sara scrubbing dishes at the sink as if her life depended on how clean they came. As Filter's 'Hey Man Nice Shot' flooded the radio's speakers she began singing at the top of her lungs, not even realizing that she had an audience.

Dean winced as he listened; there was no ignoring it her voice sucked. At least it did when she sang loud enough to rouse the neighbors. Dean watched for a moment more and suddenly found himself by her side, signing at the top of his lungs and scrubbing the counter top with a sponge she had in turn handed him. She gave a small grin and continued taking out all her frustrations with the world on the frying pan she held in her hand. Dean shot her an answering grin and did the same.

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A while later Sam finally pushed his seat back from the computer, closing his eyes for a moment, rolling his shoulders and stretching. As he did his ears picked up on an amazing amount of noise that seemed to be coming from the living room. Now that he had noticed it he didn't know how he had been able to ignore it for so long.

He stood gathering the information he had found and left the room, as he entered the hallway he could make out Dean and Sara signing at the top of their lungs. The song Sam recognized as a Skynard tune he thought it was 'Call Me The Breeze'.

Sam entered the living room to see his brother standing on the couch holding a vacuum cleaner while Sara, also standing on the couch, held the nozzle using it to suck up cobwebs on the ceiling. Sam glanced around the room looking for whatever had possessed his brother to do housework and noticed just how clean everything looked.

In the time that Sam had known Sara he had noticed that she was a tidier. She was constantly picking up things, toys, shoes, clothing and whatnot. She rarely seemed concerned with dusting and the like. She had confessed to Sam that a couple times a month she tackled the dirt, which constantly threatened to overrun the house, in a big way. Other than that she didn't bother, she had too many other things to do. Sam could vouch for Sara's lack of free time, raising three kids and her writing left little room for anything else.

Tonight, however she must have needed something physical to do, something to keep her moving. And somehow she had enlisted Dean's help. Sam laughed as they launched into a rousing version of Foreigner's 'Hot Blooded'. Sam walked more fully into the room and waited to be acknowledged. He fully expected to catch them both off guard and embarrassed by their odd display. Instead he watched as they turned in unison, with similar looks of annoyance.

"What's up Sam?" Sara asked, as she jumped off the couch and pulled the plug on the vacuum Dean held.

Dean set the vacuum down and moved toward the living room's stereo to turn down the volume. He turned and regarded his younger brother with arms crossed and one brow raised. "About time, Sam, We thought we were going to have to take care of this one ourselves."

Sara shot Sam a smirk and collapsed on the couch, crossing her legs beneath her and waiting expectedly.

Sam rolled his eyes at the two of them and began outlining what he had found. "I checked everything I could find online and I even called Bobby to ask for his advice. He will be calling you by the way Sara, I get the feeling that he's on his way. He wasn't really happy to find something's been stalking you for a while now and you hadn't called him sooner." Sam watched as Sara rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"And, Dean, he made it pretty clear that if we don't do everything within our power to keep them safe he'd be hunting us down next. I assured him that we could handle whatever was going on." Sam winced as he thought about just how irate Bobby had been.

"Shit, Sam, why'd you call him. Hell, he'll be out here quicker than you can blink," Sara said, as she frowned at Sam.

Sam shrugged, and said, "Sara, I got nothing from the computer, nothing helpful at least. I was at my wits end, as it turned out I shouldn't have bothered. Bobby was next to useless, he had a couple of the same ideas that I did but that was it."

"Dude, just tell us how to kill them. That's all we need to know for now," Dean said, his face focused on Sam.

"Well, I'm gonna go with cutting off their heads. It seems like the safest bet, but I haven't ruled out silver bullets to the heart either. One or the other will have to work," Sam said, a trace of doubt in his voice.

Dean simply nodded, and said, "I'm gonna do a supply check." He abruptly moved toward the back room where they were sleeping.

Sara watched as he returned a few minutes later, settled cross legged on the floor and began pulling weapons out of the canvas bag in front of him. Sara walked over to the TV flipped it on and settled besides Dean, with her back against the couch using the remote to flip through channels.

Sam looked at the two, left the room walked into his bedroom. He picked up Sara's manuscript, he only had a couple more chapters to go and he wanted to be finished before he left town. He returned to the living room and settled on the couch at Sara's side his legs stretching out beside her.

That's the way they spent the evening. The only noise was the TV and the small noises of the weapons being loaded and prepared. Each of them taking comfort in the closeness of the others.

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Finally, Dean watched as Sara's head nodded in sleep. She finally gave in and rested her head against Sam's knee. Sam looked up from his book and nodded into Dean's eyes. Both were thinking the same thought. Here we go.

Dean stood and lifted Sara into his arms. She woke slightly protesting Dean's order to go back to sleep. Dean watched as her eyes drifted shut and she relaxed in his arms. Dean took her upstairs and laid her on the big bed in her room.

He quickly and efficiently stripped her down before covering her with covers. As soon as he laid her down he could see her fighting to stay awake. He quickly kicked off his boots and lay down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and dropping a quick kiss on her head.

Dean allowed himself to relax and let sleep take over, safe it the knowledge that Sam was going to catch an hour or two of sleep himself.

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Dean awoke two hours later; it was just past one clock. He looked at the woman that was asleep in his arms and he felt a twinge of guilt at what he was about to do. He quickly pushed it away though; he had to keep her safe. And here in this house was the safest place she could remain. He slowly began untangling himself from Sara and moved carefully out of the room, carrying his boots in his hand.

As he reached the door, he turned back to look at her. She lay on the bed, a shaft of moonlight caressing her features. Dean's eyes hardened as he watched her sleep, he would save her. Her and her kids, he would stop the evil from taking anything else away from her. After all it was what he did, saving people his destiny. Dean turned and continued down the hall.

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Sara had felt Dean moving immediately and wanted to laugh at the boy's transparent plan. It may have even worked if she was a different person.

There had been a time in her life when she had slept dead to the world. A time when sleep had been dreamless and unbroken, that time in her life had ended with Jimmy's birth. From that moment on Sara had slept so lightly that at times she wondered whether it could even be called sleep. Late night feedings, nightmares, children's illness and even the occasional nighttime bathroom jaunt for Jack had destroyed Sara's capacity for sleep.

Sara even believed that it had saved her life the night that evil had come to her home. No this time the boys had definantly underestimated her. She lay in bed a moment, feeling Dean's eyes on her back. As she heard him move off down the hall, she released the breath that she had been holding.

Sara moved from her bed, careful of any noise that may bring Dean back to check on her. She dressed quickly and moved towards her closet, opening the door. She hadn't told Sam and Dean about this closet and its contents and she was now grateful. If they had known they would probably have gone with tying her up instead.

Sara moved aside her clothes and exposed a slim wooden cabinet. She quickly thumbed open the combination lock and opened the door. She looked at the cabinet's contents, smiled and sent a heartfelt thank you to Bobby.

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Dean quickly moved down the stairs, and headed for his room. Funny that he had come to think of this room as his. He hadn't had something to call his own except the Impala in so long. It felt right though, somewhere along the way he had become to think of this house as a home. Maybe even his home if only in his thoughts.

Sam was asleep lying on top of the covers. Dean touched his shoulder lightly and saw Sam respond. Dean quickly gathered up the supplies that he had set aside earlier. A machete for both him and Sam and both handguns loaded with silver bullets. Spare ammo in coat pockets for both and flash lights with good batteries. As he watched Sam slip on his boots, Dean readied himself for the hunt.

This is what he was meant for, protecting the innocent. Hunting evil and saving lives. He saw Sam nod in readiness and they moved out of the room and out of the house.

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The hunters moved in unison across the backyard, flashlights off. The full moon had lit the night up like a spotlight and they had no problem crossing the yard. As they approached the woods though they slowed, eyes peeled to the darkness in front of them. As the open yard ended and the woods began they could almost see the boundary that Sara and Bobby had built.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look and switched on their flashlights at the property line. They split up, each man moving in the opposite direction, each man careful to remain within the protection of the yard. Sam glanced once back at Dean as he moved out of sight and felt a moment of trepidation. He felt unprepared, like he was leading Dean into danger without the proper protection. Sam set aside his worries, they were as prepared as they could be and wasting more time and thought on worrying wouldn't get the job done.

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Sara watched the Winchesters move like shadows across the backyard. She felt a moment's admiration at how their young lean bodies moved in unison. The unseen signal they shared as they separated at the property line. Sara felt a sudden moment of panic as the moved from her sight. She quickly sent a prayer heavenward, she wasn't sure that she believed in God anymore but she was never one to take a chance. If He existed than who knows maybe he would take pity on her and keep the young hunters safe tonight. Sara eased open the sliding door and moved out into the night.

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Dean walked the property line for about ten minutes. He found a surprising amount of comfort in being out here in the dark, hunting. He felt as if by confronting the evil that was stalking Sara he was in some way repaying her for the kindness that she had shown both him and Sam. He knew that she didn't see it that way, but for him it eased his pride knowing that his skill would protect them.

Dean's thoughts slammed back to the forest surrounding him as he felt a chill run down his spine. Bingo, he thought to himself, he had company. He stopped and faced the dark before him. He scanned the shadows noting that everything looked normal. He couldn't see any of the darkness that Sam had described to him. He moved forwards and actually sensed the moment he left the protected yard.

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Sam moved along the property, eyes never leaving the forest that ran alongside him. Suddenly, he saw what he was looking for, the shadows before him seemed to be sucking the light out of the night. Sam faced the shadow took aim and stepped forwards into the forest. He quickly fired at the center of the shadow and then took a quick step back towards the protected yard.

He watched as a young man appeared before him. Sam would never have suspected that he was any different than any other young kid. He was slim and straight, probably about 17 years old. His skin had an olive cast to it and his hair was a dark rich brown. Yeah, if it wasn't for his eyes Sam would have believed he was just another kid.

The boy smiled at Sam, an open and outgoing smile. "Hey, Mister, I'm in a bit of a jam do you think you could help? Please, Mister I'm lost and I need help, if you could help me."

Sam listened to the cool tones of the young boy, he spoke calmly and seemed to ignore the fact that Sam held a gun on him.

Sam kept his eyes trained on the boy as the boy continued talking "Please, I really need help, my friend is out here and she needs you're help too." Sam took a small step forward, unable to resist the plea he heard in the boy's voice. Unable to take his eyes off of the boy's black eyes.

Someone in trouble, that's what the Winchesters did, they helped, they saved people. Sam took another step forward, and suddenly the young boy, grabbed Sam's wrist and began pulling Sam towards him. The bite of the young boy's nails cut through the haze that Sam was feeling. He suddenly felt the fog lift and he could see the boy for what he truly was. The boy grinned flashing a mouth full of jagged teeth, at Sam. He would later swear that they had not been there before.

They struggled for a moment, before Sam finally managed to pull himself back into the protection of Sara's yard. The thing before Sam actually hissed as its arm crossed the unseen barrier; it quickly released Sam and moved back from the line.

Sam spared a quick glance to reassure himself that it wasn't going to cross and flipped out his cell. He quickly dialed Dean and waited for his brother to pick up. As he waited he cast half-glances towards the boy that was now moving back and forth along the perimeter. Its arm was cradled against its body and Sam could see the injury was smoking slightly.

Sam was reminded once of a puma that he had seen at a zoo. The animal had been almost hypnotic in its pacing. It had moved back and forth in the same pattern the whole time Sam had watched it. The thing before Sam now did the same thing; back and forth it moved mouth in a silent snarl.

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The sound of A/C D/C's 'Back in Black' suddenly could be heard in the still night air. For a moment Dean couldn't focus on where the song was coming from. He quickly realized it was his cell phone ringing. He blinked and moved to answer it; everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He couldn't recall what he was doing for a moment, and then he looked up as he removed his cell from his pocket and saw the girl. She was moving to lunge at him and he involuntarily took a step back. She came to a dead stop in front of him, a snarl twisting her pretty face.

Dean backed up another couple of feet and looked in amazement at the creature in front of him. He backed up again and answered Sam's call "Yeah, Sammy." Dean listened in amazement as Sam explained to him about being hypnotized by the young man's black eyes. Dean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I kind of figured out that one on my own. How are we going to fight them if we can't look at them?" Sam went onto explain his idea and Dean grinned in delight. "Alright, Sam that is a plan."

Dean quickly hung up the phone and turned toward the creature that was now pacing on the other side of the protection line. Dean kept his eyes averted and was careful not to look directly into the young girls face. He was disgusted with himself he had quickly fallen for the young girls fresh face and earnest speech. She had pleaded with Dean to help him find her big brother and Dean had fallen for it. He had allowed the girl's strange black eyes to hypnotize him.

Dean turned towards the direction of the house and began moving towards where Sam was waiting. Out of the corner of his eye he noted that the girl was following, slightly behind, still growling low in her throat. Her true image was now visible, her long dirty fingernails and ragged teeth showed clearly in the moonlight. Whether she had allowed the mask to slip or if it was simply that Dean was seeing her clearly now, he didn't know. Dean only knew that it made it that much easier to keep his thoughts centered.

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Sara moved towards the property line, she had heard a gunshot a moment ago and surmised that it had come from the right. She sent a prayer that Sam and Dean were okay and moved forwards. Unsurprisingly, as she edged right up to the end of her protected property she could see no sign of the creatures. She stood silently and listened, she suspected that they were both so focused on Sam and Dean that she was safe for the moment. She quickly stepped outside the protected line and moved into the forest. Her main fear at the moment was that Dean and Sam had live ammo, and wouldn't expect to her to be out here. She said another prayer, hoping to avoid being shot.

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Sam could see Dean moving quickly towards him. Sam noticed the young girl that paced Dean, and looked over his shoulder at his own shadow. The boy still held his arm against his side. As Dean and Sam came face to face, Dean shot a grin at Sam as if to ask you ready. Sam nodded and felt an answering grin.

Almost at once the hunters turned and side by side ran into the woods; their shadows were simply too slow on the uptake. Both the boy and the girl turned to follow but wasted precious time figuring out what the Winchesters were doing.

Dean and Sam ran through the woods, Sam's longer stride pushing him slightly ahead. Dean following, throwing glances over his shoulder, as they looped around and began heading almost parallel to the property line Dean's pace slowed slightly. Sam not willing to leave his brother behind also began to slow. Dean and Sam as one all of the sudden hooked right, Dean felt a shudder run up his spine, at the whisper of a hand trying to grasp his jacket.

Sam suddenly burst back onto the property, quickly turning and grabbing Dean's outstretched arm. As soon as Sam locked on, Dean reached behind him and grabbed the thin wrist that was just behind him. As Dean's fingers latched on he felt a cold numbness sweep up his arm. He sent out a quick prayer that Sam was right and he pulled with all his might.

Sam pulled Dean's arm at the same time and swung him onto the safety of the property line. Dean acting like a slingshot flung the young girl, whom he was holding by the wrist onto the property.

The young girl that had been reaching for Dean had no way to stop her momentum. As she was flung across the border, the Winchesters had a moment to see the horror on her face. Then suddenly she was a ball of flame raced up from her arm that had crossed the property first. As the force of her movement carried her the rest of the way the flame grew until she was completely engulfed.

Sam and Dean had lost their balance and toppled onto the ground. Both panting as they tried to slow their breathing. Dean put his hands to his eyes to cut down the glare from the blue-white flame that was quickly destroying the girl.

Sam sat back, a smug look on his face. "Told you it would work. Piece of cake." At these words Sam lay back and closed his eyes.

Dean threw Sam a punch and laughed himself, "Yeah, well next time you can be bait all on your own, you frickin' gazelle. I've never run so fast in my life."

Sam laughed and got to his feet "Yeah, well I was under the impression that you never run. Unless you're being chased."

"It's called common sense Sam, no point in running unless you're being chased." Dean grinned and let Sam pull him to his feet.

"Now, how about freak number two. How are we going to take care of him?" Dean turned expecting to see the boy standing at the forest's edge. He felt a shiver of unease travel his spine. "Where do you think he went, Sam?"

Sam's face suddenly turned serious "I don't know Dean. I mean Bobby's protection line will keep him from getting near the house, but do you think he bailed?"

Dean looked at the forest and shrugged. "Only one way to find out." With these words Dean crossed back into the forest.

888

Sara moved through the woods carefully, a few minutes earlier she had heard a thundering noise cut through the underbrush heading towards the house. She had followed some distance behind unable to keep up with running figures. She had finally caught up only to see the girl cross the property line and catch fire. She had heard the noise behind her a few minutes after that.

888

One moment all was fine and the next all hell let loose. Sam had been moving beside Dean watching their back trail, when a sharp pain flared in his shoulder. He shouted for Dean and turned shrugging off the young boy that was latched onto him with his long nails.

Dean had turned at the sound of Sam's cry and was trying to get a shot off, but Sam's towering figure was between Dean and the creature. Sam cried out again as Dean moved to try and get a bead on the boy.

888

Sara suddenly heard a hoarse shout and quickly recognized Dean's voice shout "Sam". Sara listed but could hear no more words. She moved forward toward where she had last heard the noise.

888

Sam was in agony his shoulder was burning and he was doing everything he could to keep the creature from biting him. The problem was that everywhere the creature touched was going numb as if he was being shot full of novocain. Sam out of options suddenly dropped to the ground, he was hoping to allow Dean a clear shot.

Just as Dean saw Sam drop to the ground he heard a growl of a voice order Dean down. Dean on instinct dropped down almost on top of Sam. The next thing Dean felt was the wind of buckshot passing over his head. Close over his head. Dean watched the creature take the buckshot directly in the chest. It stumbled back and a second round blasted it another couple feet. Almost immediately it began burning the white hot flame quickly engulfing the screaming features.

Dean looked over his shoulder and saw her standing there. The light of the rising sun was filtering through the trees, her long hair loose around her shoulders her gun at her side. She smiled at Dean and said, "That'll teach them to fuck with my dog." Then she simply sank to a heap on the ground.


	10. Chapter 10

Sam scrambled across the ground, heedless of the rocks and sticks digging into his hands and knees. He found that he was making a low keening noise and was unable to stop himself. He moved beside Sara and almost gave way to the tears that threatened. She was so still and pale in the early morning light.

He quickly ran his hands over her beloved face. He couldn't find any sign of injury, as he moved his hands over her skull; and then just behind her right ear he felt a sticky wetness in her hair. He pulled his hand away and saw that it was covered in blood.

Sam clamped down on the urge to panic; he knew from years of experience that head wounds bled, a lot. He continued moving his hands down her body, looking for any other sign of injury. As far as he could tell, there was just the cut on the back of her head. He allowed himself to breathe a little easier and turned towards Dean.

"Dean, get over here man. She's a nasty gash behind her ear." Sam saw Dean take two steps towards Sara and the stop and turn away, and then next Sam heard was Dean throwing up in the brush nearby. "Dean, man, come on get a hold of yourself." Sam heard himself snap.

Dean wiped a hand across his mouth and felt a sudden light headedness. He just couldn't seem to grasp what had happened. Sara had saved Sammy but had been somehow been stricken herself. Dean just couldn't manage to pull the pieces of his mind back together. As he looked at her prone body, he kept seeing different images flash through his mind. His Father, his brother, and even his Mom kept flashing through his mind images of them dead lying there in that forest, looking up at him through sightless eyes.

Dean's head suddenly snapped towards Sam as he saw his brother lift Sara into his arms and head for the house. Dean watched Sam as he carried her towards the house, towards the rising sun.

Sam was furious at what he understood to be Dean's stubborn refusal to admit he cared for someone. It should be Dean that had carried Sara into the house. It should have been Dean wiping the blood away from her injury and carefully cutting the surrounding hair to have access. Sam readily admitted that he loved the woman before him. But Dean, admit it or not was in love with her, and had been for awhile. And even though nothing would or should ever come from it, for Dean to ignore what should have been his responsibility infuriated Sam.

888

Sam stood once more to look out Sara's bedroom window; he could see Dean still sitting with his arms around his knees, by the hammock. He hadn't moved in at least an hour. Sam wanted to storm down there and physically shake some sense into his stupid stubborn brother but he didn't want to risk Sara waking up to find herself alone.

The cut on her head hadn't been that deep and Sam had quickly put in three stitches to make sure she didn't end up with too big of a scar. He had gotten her cleaned up and put her to bed. He felt guilty though because he hadn't stripped her down and washed her.

Sam moved back to his seat by the bed and sat down gingerly, his own shoulder still ached and stung from the scratches he had received. Sam shook his head and leaned back in the chair eyes resting on Sara's pale face.

888

Sara awoke to a blinding pain in her head, she quickly began breathing, slow and easy pushing away the bout of nausea that suddenly gripped her. She never threw up, not ever, it was the one thing she simply refused to do. She forced herself to continue breathing until she felt slightly better.

She carefully opened on eye and promptly shut it again. She heard herself moan and tried to clamp her teeth shut over the sound.

Sara heard someone come closer to the bed, and then she felt it move as someone sat on the edge. Sara edged her eyes open carefully expecting to see a pair of worried green eyes above her. Instead she saw a set of brown eyes, staring down at her in concern.

"Sara, honey can you hear me." Sam hovered over Sara waiting for her eyes to flick open again, waiting to see if she was going to be okay.

Sara opened her eyes again and managed to keep them open this time. "Sam?" Sara heard the croak in her voice and tried again "Sam, are they gone? Did we do it? Are you okay I thought I saw him get you?" Sara put a hand to her forehead and hoped the confusion would clear. Suddenly she shot up trying to get off the bed "Where's Dean? Is he okay? Oh, God please tell me he's okay." Sara got to her feet and almost hit the ground again.

Sam quickly reached out and wrapped his arms around Sara steadying her. "Shhhhh... Shhhh... its okay he's fine. He's just outside, look at me. Sara, look at me." Sam held Sara by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "He's fine." Sam whispered urging Sara to hear the truth.

Sara finally looked at Sam really looked. She nodded and said "Alright Sam, okay. Let me go, I can manage." Sam gently released Sara, poised to catch her again if she faltered.

Sara took deep breath and stood tall on her own, other than being muscle sore and the spike of pain in her head, she felt pretty good. Sara took a step away from Sam and promptly fainted again.

Sam had seen Sara's eyes roll up in the back of her head this time, so he had managed to catch her before she hit the ground. He swung her into his arms again, cursing the pull on his shoulder and the blood he felt run down his back. He tucked her into bed, and left the room. He just wasn't willing to wait for Dean to get his shit together; it was time for Sam to interfere.

888

Dean sat on the hard ground and found that he was incapable of getting to his feet. He didn't know whether he'd ever be able to get up again. He sat staring hard at the hammock, the memories of the night he and Sara had lain on it talking left him slightly nauseous. He should have known better, he should have never have come here. He had done this; he had brought evil to this house.

Once again, he had gotten someone hurt. Once again, he was unable to protect those he loved. He just didn't want to deal with it anymore. When they were in Oregon, he had admitted to Sam he was tired. Tired of the fight, tired of living, he had meant it then and he felt it to his bones now.

He had come to realize that no matter the number of people he saved it would never equal the ones he had lost. If it wasn't for Sam, he would have let himself go a long time ago. Sam, Dean knew he needed to get up to go to Sam. He knew that Sam was injured and needed help. He just couldn't force himself to move, not even for Sam.

Sam moved across, the lawn about to lay into Dean, his temper had grown and grown the closer he seemed to get to Dean. As Sam moved to face Dean though, the words that he had formed in his mind fled. Dean looked horrible. There was no other way to describe it. He sat with staring with hollow eyes, at the hammock that swung back and forth in the breeze. He didn't even acknowledge that Sam had arrived. Sam dropped down in the grass beside his brother.

"Dean, Dean answer me Dean what is it? Where are you hurt? Come on man answer me." Sam called to Dean over and over again trying to elicit a response. When Dean continued staring Sam finally became really scared. He lightly slapped Dean's waxen face.

Dean could feel more than hear Sam calling to him, Dean knew he needed to respond. For Sam, he needed to pull himself together he just didn't know if he could. Sam wouldn't stop though he kept pulling Dean to the surface forcing him to wake and acknowledge the world once again.

Sam watched as Dean blinked and finally focused on Sam. Dean's voice when he spoke was weak and barely a whisper "She's gone Sam, I've lost her, I lose everyone Sam. I don't think I can take it anymore."

"Dean, she's fine just a bump on the head. What are you talking about, Dean answer me." Sam shook Dean trying to get some type of response from him.

Dean shook his head, and looked down at the silver ring on his finger; he absentmindedly started to twist the ring, the small bit of motion helping to clear his thoughts. "Sam, she's as good as gone to me. I can never come back here knowing that I put her in danger. Knowing that she could be hurt again."

Sam shook his head in sadness, he should have suspected this. He knew that Dean worked so hard at keeping everyone at a distance to protect himself. And this time it hadn't worked, Sara had dug in and gotten inside the fence that Dean kept around himself.

"Dean, I know how you're feeling I do, it's the same reason that I hold myself back. But I'm learning Dean; I'm learning that we can't function alone. We need other people or what's the point. What's the point of saving humanity if we can't be a part of it?" Sam sighed and sank down next to his brother, leaning slightly against his shoulder.

"I can't Sam" said Dean shaking his head slightly. "I just can't, I feel like we bring sadness and chaos wherever we go. And God I'm tired Sam, so tired."

Sam just didn't know what words of comfort he could offer. He desperately wanted to keep the Powers family in his life, but really Dean was probably right. They were a danger to everyone around them.

"I know Dean, but you can't just decide to cut Sara out of your life. It's her life too, and you just can't make a decision like that. If she chooses to remain in our lives I don't see how we can cut her out." Sam said the words softly.

"Dear God, I had to traipse around the house three times, before I finally found you guys." Sara said as she stepped up beside them,practically dropping into Dean's lap, wiggling until she was wedged between the brothers. Sara leaned against them and sighed in relief. She was so tired, and she had panicked when she had woken to find herself alone. The panic had grown as she had searched the house on wobbly legs. She had only found herself breathing again when she saw the Impala still in the garage.

Sara closed her eyes, choosing to shut out the world that still teetered slightly. "Dean, I heard you." Sara said softly choosing her words carefully. She knew that she had only one chance to make them understand her or they would leave her. She could feel the tears coursing down her cheeks.

"You guys act as if you have a choice, as if you'll simply leave us all behind. Ride off down the road in your car never looking back. But if you two would look back just once you'd see us, standing there waiting for you to return. And we will wait; we'll wait as long as necessary, because you're a part of us." Sara stopped for a moment wiping a shaky hand across her eyes.

"The day you showed up here is the day you both stopped being free. You belong to my family now, you belong to me. And I need you; I need to know that someday, somehow you'll come back to me. And I swear to all that's holy I will not loose anymore of my family, not to anything."

Sara's face dissolved as the tears came harder and faster, causing her breath to hitch in her chest. Sara felt more than saw Sam move away. Then suddenly she was engulfed in the scent and feel of Dean's arms wrapping around her. His gentle murmur encouraging her to breathe, its funny Sara thought to herself it was the same way she comforted the kids when tears got the better of them.

Dean simply held Sara as she cried herself calm again. He knew that he should walk away now while he had the strength. He looked down into Sara's water logged eyes and acknowledged that it was too late. He didn't have the strength, maybe he never had.

He tried one last ditch effort at keeping her safe. "I can't watch the people I love get hurt anymore Sara. And you and your children, I love you. It's going to kill me.

Sara lifted Dean's head to look into his eyes. She smiled softly and said "We don't have a choice in who we love; it's the worst and the best thing about us. We simply love, and we hold on. Dean I want you to look at me, really look at me. I can take care of myself and anyone else that's with me. I'm not running at you with blind eyes. I know that for all the danger that you and Sam bring with you, you also bring light, never ending light. And it's the light that I want; it's the light that I'm not willing to go without." Sara's voice dropped even lower "Don't leave me Dean, not willingly. Please."

That was it for Dean, he knew it was over. "I won't Sara, never willingly." He leaned down and kissed her softly.

888

Dean looked around the room once again, making sure that he hadn't left anything behind. As his eyes swept the walls, he took in the pictures that were hanging all over. Some were addressed to Dean and some to Sam, some of them were photos of them and others were drawings. Some clear depictions and some were simply scribbles. He smiled at them all, and felt a little better.

Normally, when he and Sam left a room, there was no sign that they had ever been there. This time though, this time the room didn't look abandoned it simply looked like it was waiting for him to come back. And he finally allowed himself to admit that he would come back. One way or another he would make it back here. Back home.

Dean turned and left the room.

Epilogue

Sam sat huddled in the car, looking out the window at the town's Christmas lights. A few minutes later he noticed Dean walking through the snow towards him. Dean had gone into the post office to check the mail box they kept there. Sam stared in puzzlement though at the box that was in Dean's hands.

Dean held the box in his hands, feeling his heart race. There had been no return address on the box, but he had clearly recognized the handwriting on the label. He had been so tempted to open it in the shop, but felt it wouldn't be fair to Sam.

"What's in the box?" Sam asked shifting to look at the package as Dean entered the car. Dean simply ignored the question and pulled out his knife. He quickly sliced through the tape that was holding the box shut and opened it. He pulled out the letter that lay on top, again recognizing the handwriting.

Dean read the letter slowly out loud. "Sam and Dean, I hope this package finds you well. We've all missed you terribly. I'm not sure if you'll get this package in time, but I hope. I promised the kids that I would send you an invitation to Christmas dinner, here at the house. Bobby's coming and my family will be there. No need to call just show up if possible. I have told the kids that you can't so they won't be disappointed. Just in case we don't see you I sent you a couple of things. Please take care of each other and stay safe. Know that we love and miss both of you." It was signed simply The Powers Family.

Sam cleared his throat noisily and wiped a hand across his face. "What's in the box?"

Dean opened the box wider and saw two wrapped packages, the Christmas paper sparkled and shined in the waning light. Dean removed the packages and noted the names on the tags, he carefully pulled out the heavier item and handed it to Sam.

Sam held the package in his hand as if it was the most precious thing ever. He tried to remember the last time he had gotten a Christmas gift from someone other than Dean. He guessed it had been the last Christmas he had spent with Jess. He looked at the label and a grin spread across his face it read To Sam, From Santa Clause.

Sam opened the paper carefully, inside was a copy of Sara's book, the one that she had asked Sam to proofread for her. He opened it carefully, and a check fell out. It was written to Sam, and was for more money than Dean could hustle in a month. There was a small yellow sticky attached to it. He read: Sam, this is what I pay Bobby to edit for me. I appreciate you're hard work and loved the changes you made. Love ya S. P.S. check the dedication page.

Sam opened the book carefully and found that he was unable to read what it said out loud. He simply showed the page to Dean, carefully avoiding Dean's probing eyes. The dedication read simply:

This book is dedicated to two special brothers. Who are loved, missed and never forgotten.

The Powers Family

Dean read the page carefully, and closed the cover of the book. He found that his hands were shaking slightly as he unwrapped his own gift. He found a burned DVD inside with a hand drawn picture of Sara's family. Dean opened the DVD and handed it to Sam who was already booting up his laptop.

Dean and Sam watched as the movie opened. It started with a title page, it was a picture of Sara's family with Sam and Dean. Dean could remember that day as clearly as if it was happening all over again.

It had been hot and sunny out, It was Sam and Dean's last day with Sara's family. Jack had been there moving gingerly on his sore leg, and so had Sara's family. It had been her brother that had taken the picture. Sara had stood between Sam and Dean, Dean held Jessie in his arms and Sam held Michael, Sara's hands rested on Jimmy's tall shoulders and Jack had sat by his side.

As Dean watched a slide show began, he watched countless photos slide by. Some were taken in the two weeks that the boys had stayed at Sara's and some had taken since. Dean was shocked to see one of Jimmy's gap tooth grin. "Look, Jim's teeth are coming in." Dean pointed out to Sam.

Sam nodded and laughed out loud at a picture of Jessie's naked rear as she jumped up from a child's potty a serious look on her face. The brother's sat in the car and watched the pictures fly by. As they neared the end an actual movie clip started. Dean and Sam watched as Sara and the kids came into focus. "Hey Sam and Dean, Merry Christmas. We just wanted to let you know that we miss and love you. We hope to see you soon." At this all four members of the Powers family blew a kiss at the camera. As the disc went black, Sam was surprised to hear the rumble of the Impala's engine.

He brought his eyes to focus on Dean and said "Where we headed?" Dean simply turned and looked into his eyes. "We're going home, Sam home for Christmas."

The End


End file.
